


The Home Stretch

by Veresiine



Series: The Home Front & Sequels [5]
Category: MapleStory
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon has been hurled into the sun, Drama, F/M, Slow Burn, at least if you count the entire series it's a slow burn, plot is still number one though, we'll get there eventually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2019-11-15 15:45:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18076268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veresiine/pseuds/Veresiine
Summary: After a long and difficult journey, the Heroes are finally ready to face the Black Mage once more. They know that the whole world is at stake and are willing to make considerable sacrifices to save it, but can they handle the consequences of their actions in the long run?The primary focus is on Luminous and Mercedes, but the other heroes are important, too. On that note, there are only canon characters this time, so anyone who doesn't like OCs can come back now.It probably doesn't actually count as 'Major Character Death,' but I'm tagging it anyway to be safe.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back to the people who have read the other pieces in this series, and welcome to the people who haven't!
> 
> I'll attempt to provide a quick recap for the people who haven't read the rest of the series.  
> So far, the story has *mostly* followed canon. The characters boarded Alliance airships, went through the fog, fought monsters in the fog, approached the black sun, lost communication with the rest of the fleet, and fell into the Labyrinth of Suffering.
> 
> The empress's champion / the player character has been doing the things they did in canon, just offscreen. They fought the giant void eye monster and lifted the fog. They fought True Hilla in the Labyrinth of Suffering (though in this story, Aran and EunWol contributed to that battle as well). And now, they've run off after Orchid on their way to the Black Mage.
> 
> The heroes, meanwhile, have been one step behind the champion. While they don't have as much of the Alliance's support as the champion has had, they've faced down countless dangers on the path to the Black Mage. They didn't come out unscathed, and while their injuries have mostly healed by this point, they've lost all the Alliance members assigned to their ships to various threats.
> 
> At the same time, Luminous and Mercedes have been very slowly exploring the possibility of a romantic relationship built on their already strong friendship. On that note, due to events very early on in the series, Lania, Vieren, and Penny are currently in Elluel.
> 
> This is the part of the story where I get to hurl canon into the sun and do what I want. I hope you all enjoy it!

"So, which way did they go?" Mercedes asked Aran and EunWol.

  
"I didn't notice, because we'd barely had a chance to take a breath after the battle before _you_ showed up," Aran said, glaring at Phantom.

  
"Hmph!"

  
"You're lucky she caught you, you know," EunWol said. "We can't risk any infighting at this point." Luminous couldn't help but notice that EunWol met his eyes for a split second. The glance was acknowledgement, not accusation, but he still remembered Abraxas and the trip to the other world and winced.

  
"Are we any calmer now?" Mercedes asked Phantom, sounding almost like she was giving a scolding, though perhaps Luminous was projecting his own anger at Phantom.

  
"I'm perfectly capable of focusing on the greater enemy, if that's what you're asking," Phantom said, dusting himself off. He couldn't get the blood off, however. Luminous supposed Aran and EunWol must have gotten some monster blood on him when they restrained him.

  
A sound drew his attention, and he turned to see Evan tapping on the stone they had taken cover behind. On the third tap, it cracked.

  
"Uh, guys, I really don't think we should stay here. At the very least, let's find something a bit more solid to take cover behind while we figure out which way to go," Evan said. Luminous was pleased to note that he seemed stable and focused in spite of the most recent losses. It couldn't have been easy for him, but at least he was keeping a level head this time.

Luminous had to admit that he still saw Evan as a child more than as Freud's successor at times, but he was clearly growing, and that was worthy of respect.

  
That said, now that they were close, Luminous didn't want to distract himself with unnecessary thoughts and waste time. If Phantom wasn't going to bolt again, all that remained was finding and finally _defeating_ the Black Mage. They could discuss strategy on the way.

  
Thinking of the Black Mage reminded him of the magical currents and power flowing all around them.

  
"We require a direction, correct? I believe I can provide that."

  
"Then by all means, enlighten us," Phantom drawled.

  
"I can sense his power up ahead." Luminous gestured to where he could feel the Black Mage's darkness the most. Luminous never thought he'd be _happy_ to sense that power, but at least it gave them a direction. Finally having his senses clear after everything being obscured by Hilla's influence was a relief, even if he was still adjusting to that clarity after spending so long in the labyrinth.

  
"Then what are we waiting for?" Aran asked.

  
"Shouldn't we also, uh, come up with a plan?" Evan asked.

  
"We can do that as we walk," Mercedes said. "We've wasted enough time getting to this point." She turned to address Aran and EunWol. "We've heard from the White Spear. People are dying out there." Luminous heard the unspoken " _my_ people" at the end. Aran nodded her understanding.

  
The Heroes started moving. Aran and Mercedes were clearly eager to fight and took the lead. Phantom was unreadable. Evan and EunWol, however, seemed a bit more reserved. Evan was most likely still a bit shaken, Luminous supposed, but why would EunWol be hesitant? Then he remembered EunWol's curse, and what fighting the Black Mage might _mean_ for him then. Out of all of them, he supposed, EunWol's curse was the cruelest, unless he counted Lucid's fate as a consequence of Mercedes's curse.

  
At least EunWol, from the short time Luminous knew him... well, knew him _again_... was solid and dependable. He wouldn't back down or run off. Unlike a certain thief.

  
"So, we don't know what we're going to face up ahead. But he'll probably have reinforcements, right?" Evan started.

  
"Most likely," Phantom said, then muttered, "coward."

  
"I think we should have a team of people dedicated to focusing on the Black Mage's reinforcements and allies rather than on him directly," Evan said. At the word 'allies,' Phantom perked up. Luminous wondered if he still saw Orchid as hostile or a possible threat. Perhaps Phantom assumed she was only pretending to ally with them only to turn on them at the last second. The more Luminous thought about it, the more wary of her motives _he_ became. "But if he _doesn't_ have reinforcements, then the team should focus on him anyway."

  
"That makes sense," Aran said.

  
"I'll volunteer for that," Phantom said.

  
"Great! Thanks for volunteering, Phantom, but we're going to need more, probably," Evan said. Luminous considered that for a moment. He _wanted_ to fight the Black Mage personally. He _wanted_ vengeance and justice for Aurora. He _wanted_ to show that the Black Mage's 'curse' on him was, in its own way, a blessing. But at the same time, he knew that he was well-equipped to deal with large groups of monsters, even if they were spread out. Volunteering would be the responsible thing to do. And _someone_ had to. Besides, if the Black Mage for whatever reason _didn't_ have reinforcements, he could fight him directly as he wanted to.

  
Beyond that, he didn't want to work with Phantom again (or end up having another 'contest'), so he would keep his mouth shut for now. Perhaps someone else would volunteer. After all, Aran and EunWol had experience holding off innumerable monsters. That's what they had done in the past; they knew what they were doing. But they were staying silent.

  
Luminous noticed Mercedes giving him a pointed look. He groaned internally. He _didn't_ want to. But he could put his personal vengeance and dislike of Phantom aside for her sake. If she thought this was the best plan, the one most likely to succeed and keep their people safe, he had little choice but to do it.

  
"I'll..." Even if he'd made his decision, he still _really_ didn't want to. The words caught in his throat, but he forced them out. "If no one else is willing to, I volunteer."

  
"I will as well," Mercedes said, not a second behind.

  
"Okay! So you three will focus on any reinforcements. Great. And Aran, EunWol, and I will focus on the Black Mage himself. I, uh, imagine that Orchid and the champion will also be doing that." Evan looked like he was about to say more, but movement caught Luminous's eye, and he saw Mercedes draw her bowguns and loose.

  
A second later, four Erda monsters hit the ground in front of them and started to disappear.

  
"Looks like we've hit those reinforcements," Phantom said.

  
"Unless they're merely a byproduct of the energies being manipulated," Luminous countered.

  
"They're still monsters and they're still in our way; what's the difference?" Aran asked, brandishing Maha.

  
"I'll watch the skies," Mercedes said.

  
"Great! The rest of us will focus on the monsters on the ground, then," Evan said.

  
It didn't take long for them to fall into their old rhythms. Aran and EunWol led the charge. Mercedes took down any airborne monsters. Evan, Phantom, and Luminous fought any monsters that approached from the sides and a few monsters in front at a distance.

  
Luminous could _feel_ the Black Mage more and more with each step, but didn't see him yet.

  
Besides the Black Mage himself, he felt very powerful magic, almost as if the flow of it could tear him apart, though, thankfully, there were no other surges like the one that had taken out the last crew members. The Black Mage must have been working on his final plan as they walked. So why hadn't Orchid and the champion engaged and distracted him yet?

  
The other heroes were bracing themselves as if they were walking against strong wind. Even though most weren't magicians, it seemed they could feel it, too.

  
After another minute or two, he paused for a moment to look ahead. If he squinted, he could see massive black and white guardians that seemed to be engaged in combat with something. Even farther beyond that, he could see what he assumed was the Black Mage himself, protected by barriers.

  
He didn't have long to reflect on that, however, before a monster came up close to him from the side. He teleported behind it and impaled it with a conjured sword.

  
He couldn't stay in that position. More monsters were approaching, and he needed to get to a safer position. He looked around at the other heroes. No one said anything, but their thoughts were clear. This was where the two teams would split up and where they would hold the line.

  
Luminous didn't want to. He _wanted_ to fight the Black Mage. But he had given his word, and _someone_ had to hold off the monsters.  
He tried to distract himself from the bitterness with battle. If he focused on the magic, on the familiar power of light and the raw power of darkness, maybe he could put his feelings on hold. Unfortunately, focusing on the magic just reminded him of how _vast_ the powers around him were. He felt like a speck floating in the currents of magical energy around him. He couldn't ever remember feeling that way before, not even during their first battle.

  
At least, even if the powers around him were great, the monsters, while strong, could be defeated.

  
He didn't think it was a long battle, but it was a difficult one. As bad as the battle for Elluel. Thinking of that reminded him of how that had ended for him. He couldn't afford to make a mistake this time. There was too much at stake. At least he was going into battle this time slightly less exhausted. He was a bit sore, hungry, and thirsty, but that was easier to fight through than extreme exhaustion. Mercedes seemed to be struggling less this time, too.

  
The overwhelming power around him was his biggest challenge, but he knew how to coordinate with Phantom and Mercedes and rely on them to cover his weak points. Between the three of them, they were holding things together, if barely.

  
Luminous barely stopped a monster's attack a hair's breadth from his face. He was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed and wondering if he would lose control. His magical balance wasn't great, his mana was starting to get low again, and he wasn't sure what the powerful flow of Erda and magic around him was doing to him.

  
He had to remind himself that this was _it_. Everything had led to this. He couldn't fail now. He needed to get his head together. He thought of Lania. He _had_ to do this, _had_ to keep her and the world safe. He glanced over at Mercedes. She must have been thinking of her people, too. Elluel. They needed to fight here so Elluel could be safe, no matter the personal cost.

  
That thought gave him strength, motivation, and focus. He snapped himself back into balance and opened a door to let raw power through, obliterating the nearby monsters that were threatening to overwhelm them.

  
Luminous was about to follow up with a more spread attack to damage the monsters that weren't quite so dangerously close when he felt a large _shift_ in the energy around him. He turned his attention to that in case he needed to warn the others and find cover again.

  
He looked over at the source of the shift and saw that the Black Mage himself had joined the battle. While he, Mercedes, and Phantom had been fighting, it seemed some of the Nova had arrived and joined the battle. He forced down a wave of bitterness and jealousy that the Nova not even of Maple World were fighting the Black Mage when he, Mercedes, and Phantom had so much more right.

  
But they needed all the help they could get if they hoped to win, and there was no time for his own pettiness.

  
Even _Phantom_ was actually serious, which was a relief.

  
This was their _purpose_. Nothing else mattered.

  
_Not even love?_ , he asked himself. No, love was what _gave_ it purpose.

  
No matter the cost.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is where the archive warnings come into play, so just a heads-up.

Mercedes leapt up in the air, flipped, and came crashing down in a swirling barrage of magical leaves to clear out the monsters closest to her.

  
After landing, she paused for a split second for her head to stop spinning. Maybe she wasn't quite ready for acrobatics like that. Still, the attack had been effective, and that was what mattered. She was okay. She, Phantom, and Luminous were holding their ground.

  
There had been a few near-misses, but no one had been hit or seriously hurt.

  
There was no time for banter or idle chatter. Now and again, they'd use hand signals to communicate a threat, or shout someone's name as a warning, but other than that, it was just them, the monsters, and the flow of Erda and the flow of battle.

  
All she could do was to hope the others were doing all right. They _needed_ them to take down the Black Mage once and for all. Mercedes wished the monsters would clear out so she could help.

  
But, she had to remind herself, this was important, too.

  
They had probably been fighting for fifteen minutes or so. In that time, they had slowly been moving closer to the main fight. Of course, that also meant they needed to be more vigilant for attacks from the Black Mage directly. Fortunately, he seemed too occupied with those directly engaged with him to send many attacks at the three of them.

  
She heard a commotion and couldn't resist looking.

  
She turned just in time to see the Empress's champion struck down. The items they had been holding clattered across the ground towards her.

  
"Damn it all!" Orchid cursed.

  
Mercedes caught a glimpse of the Transcendence Stone among the champion's items. She knew it would be _terrible_ if the Black Mage got a hold of it, even if it hurt him in the process.

  
Mercedes moved without thinking, dashing in close to the main fight, and scooped up the stone with one hand while keeping her grip on a bowgun with the other hand.

  
Then she realized what she was doing. _Oh, no, Luminous, I'm so sorry._ But this was the only chance they might have had. She didn't know if it would hurt Luminous or exactly how to use it. But they had to win, for the _world_ , and she knew that he knew that. She couldn't just give up.

  
_Now how do I use this?_ Mercedes wondered. She paused to think, considering giving it to someone else who would have more idea and a less burdened conscience.

  
"Mercedes, look out!" Mercedes didn't have time to react before Aran pushed her to the side. She hit the ground, losing her grip on her remaining bowgun in the process. She looked back just in time to see Aran get caught in a spear of darkness that went right through her thigh. Aran cried out in pain.

  
"No!" Mercedes could see another spear coming that looked like it might hit both of them. She didn't have the momentum to move Aran; all she could do was roll out of the way and push down the surging guilt.

  
"Stop it, Eun, I can still fight!" Mercedes let out a small sigh of relief when she saw that EunWol had dragged Aran to safety.

  
Okay. She had to _think_. She could do this. She needed to have a plan, to *do* something, anything.

  
She had a few seconds. She tried to tap into the stone, not to anything else, while trying to keep a level head. She could feel the stone and the various Transcendental powers around her. No, not quite _feel_. More like _see_. Light and Time. Alpha and Beta were distinct enough. Aeona's power was just slightly separate from the Black Mage's. Luminous's power was _extremely_ similar and difficult to tell apart from the Black Mage's, but she knew it was him because of his location.

  
Mercedes felt a sudden wave of doubt. She knew she wasn't qualified for this. She was the ruler of the elves; she knew battle, she knew nature, and she knew her people, but this was something a magician would be better suited for.

  
She thought of Evan and looked for him, finally finding him just as he landed what should have been a good hit on the Black Mage. Unfortunately, he was so caught up in his spell that he didn't see an attack coming towards him from behind.

  
Luminous blocked the attack for him, then met Mercedes' eyes for a moment. He nodded, then turned his attention back to the Erda monsters. Mercedes could only assume he meant to go ahead. She let her shoulders down a little. She didn't want to hurt him -- not _again_ \-- but she knew that if they failed, it was all over. They went into this before knowing they might not come out. It was no different this time.

  
The Black Mage and his forces had already killed too many. Mercedes briefly reflected on the losses of the crew members, and then on those killed in the battle for Elluel. Each second she delayed was a chance for more casualties and more deaths. The battle wasn't just going on here. The battle in Maple World depended on them as well. Athena needed an end in sight. Elluel needed protection. Her _people_ needed her. And Lania. And the rest of Maple World. They needed the war to be over and balance to return.

  
The Black Mage seemed to be focusing on her now. Of course he was; she had the stone.

  
And now she had an idea what to do with it.

  
"Mercedes, what are you doing!? You're not the Adversary! Give the stone to me!" Orchid. Ugh.

  
"You're right, but I'm not about to give up." She was still a bit angry about the Black Wings and didn't quite trust Orchid, even if she _did_ have Guwaru's blessing.

  
No one else had asked for the Stone. This was on her. She knew what she had to do.

  
Luminous had postulated that someone might be able to destroy a Transcendent's power using the stone. Mercedes wasn't sure she had that right, even if she had the capability. Freud and Phantom might have wanted that, but if she did, there would be no going back. If they won, they could always change things at a later time.

  
_She_ couldn't control the power. She wasn't a Transcendental being. Taking one look at Damien had told her all she needed to know about what she _didn't_ want happening. But Luminous and Zero -- she could see/feel their power through the stone -- could handle some of it, obviously.

  
If she could transfer some of the Black Mage's power to them, it might weaken the Black Mage enough to create an opening for other fighters to strike. She didn't know what would happen to them, and while she was pretty sure Luminous was okay with it, she wasn't so sure about Alpha and Beta, but from where she was standing, this was the best chance they had.

  
After all, the champion had fallen, so Neinheart's plan (and probably everyone else's, too) had failed.

  
It took her a few seconds to figure out how to go about transferring the power. She felt strange shifting, like the stone was somehow pulling at her from every direction at once, but she managed to direct the stone at the Black Mage's power. Now all she had to do was transfer it.

  
She had some instinctive idea what she was doing from the magic she used naturally as an elf, as well as the little bits of extra magic Philius had insisted she learn so she could be a better ruler by better understanding her people, but she would have liked a better idea what she was doing, especially with the stakes so high. Why hadn't she considered this as a possibility and asked Luminous for more insight? They'd had plenty of time in the labyrinth!

  
As she connected the flow of power to its intended recipients, energy flared around her. She felt like her hands -- she was holding onto the stone with both hands now -- were on fire, and that fire was licking its way up her arms. It didn't _quite_ burn, though; there was a trace of that pins and needles sensation, as well. On top of that, her head was swimming, and she got the distinct impression that she was _nowhere_ near healed enough from her head injury to be doing something like this.

  
Her physical discomfort didn't matter. She had to do this.

  
She knew she was vulnerable to attack, but she couldn't move while channeling. She felt like she was being torn apart, and only willpower was holding her together. On top of that, it was like trying to drain a lake with a medicine dropper.

  
She gritted her teeth and looked up to see if there was any change. With even just a fraction of her focus elsewhere, she could feel the connections she'd created starting to slip away, but she refused to let them go.

  
Phantom dived in close to the Black Mage and struck, tearing away some of his robes and drawing what might have been blood. Mercedes felt a brief surge of hope -- that was closer than they'd ever gotten in the past! -- but it was cut short when the Black Mage knocked Phantom back. He skidded across the ground on his back and didn't get up. _No, not Phantom, come on...!_

  
She suddenly remembered that he was supposed to have been focusing on the monsters. So if both of them were on the main battle, then only Luminous was holding the line. Could he do it alone, especially with whatever her actions with the stone were doing to his power?

  
She couldn't spare any focus or the connection would break. She turned her attention back to it and tried to feel for him through the stone while stabilizing the connection. After a few seconds, she got it stable. She could _feel_ that Luminous was near her, but she had to look up to see to figure out exactly what was going on.

  
She did so just in time to see him shield her against an oncoming magical missile. He flinched, but she didn't think he was injured by it. That said, his footing was uneven and he seemed to be shaking and struggling. It _hurt_ her to see, doubly so since this was _her_ fault, but this was her path and she had chosen it. He glanced back at her and noticed she was looking at him.

  
"Continue. I shall be fine." It was a lie and they both knew it. But if continuing meant opening up a chance for victory, she had to continue. Her heart was twisting; she _didn't_ want to hurt Luminous, _or_ risk making another mess almost as bad as the Black Mage, but she was on this path and she couldn't back down now. "They are counting on us."

  
Tears stung at her eyes as she doubled down her attention, focusing only on the power around her. Luminous would protect her as she worked, it seemed. At least, as long as he could. Even if what she was doing was hurting him, he _wanted_ her to continue.

  
She needed to finish this before they lost anyone else. She didn't have time to check on Aran or Phantom, but she was worried.

  
_No matter the cost_ , she reminded herself. _My people -- the world needs us to win_.

  
That had to make her heartbreak worth it.

  
One last push, and everything whited out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try not to leave you all off on a cliffhanger for too long! Before you worry too much, please remember that I do NOT like killing off canon characters, no matter how much this chapter might seem to hint otherwise.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: some discussion of suicide in this chapter.

Luminous went over what had just happened, hoping that, if he went through the preceding events enough times, what he was experiencing now would make _sense_.

  
He had been getting overwhelmed trying to defend Mercedes and hadn't been sure how much more he could handle. His power had been unstable, but he _had_ to keep going. He _had_ to keep Mercedes safe. It had been so strange to see her still in battle rather than darting and leaping about. There had been as much grace to her casting as there was to her fighting, but he hadn't had time to properly appreciate it.

  
He had only been able to spare a quick spell in Phantom's direction when he had fallen. Luminous could only hope it had been enough. He hadn't needed to worry about the other heroes, thankfully; Aran, though clearly badly wounded, had continued to fight, with EunWol at her side supporting her when necessary. Evan and Mir had attacked relentlessly with fervor Luminous didn't know they had.

  
That one Nova warrior -- Kaiser, if Luminous recalled correctly -- had moved to hold the line and defend the other fighters from incoming monsters, freeing up Luminous to focus his full attention on defending Mercedes while she worked.

  
His full attention, unfortunately, hadn't been sufficient.

  
He might have lasted one or two minutes, though it felt like an eternity, before things had started to fall apart. A few of his blocks and shields hadn't been able to completely nullify any oncoming damage, and he'd taken the brunt of what went through. The resulting pain had only made it _more_ difficult to hold himself together.

  
Between the power flowing around him, his lack of magical balance, and whatever the Stone was doing to him, he had felt like he might lose _himself_.

  
He had focused on the magic, until it had shattered and swirled and blew and left him here.

  
Wherever 'here' was.

  
His feet weren't on solid ground, and he was almost afraid to open his eyes and look around. All the input and information he received was of a magical nature rather than a physical one. The feeling was similar to being carried in an Erda current the way he'd been during his trials.

  
They seemed so long ago and so far away now.

  
"There you are." Luminous startled at the voice and opened his eyes and looked around to see who had spoken. The voice was surprisingly gentle, considering who it came from.

  
Seeing the person in front of him was like looking into a mirror. He knew who it was.

  
And he _hated_ it.

  
Luminous knew that he had once been a part of the Black Mage, but it hadn't felt so _real_ until now. His one red eye was his main comfort. It was funny how he'd hated it at first, but it made him _different_ from the man standing in front of him, and that was some relief. That, and the hair.

  
On the other hand, seeing the greatest evil in the world in familiar Aurora garb was highly unsettling. Of course he knew that the Black Mage had once been the White Mage and the founder of Aurora, and Luminous thought he'd long since come to terms with it, but it was different knowing his history and seeing the source of so much evil with _his_ face and wearing what should have been familiar and comforting Aurora robes.

  
It was one final cruelty, he supposed.

  
"What do you wish from me?" Luminous asked, assuming a battle stance. He tried to level his rod at the man in front of him, but his weapon was gone.

  
"A moment of your time and a chance for some civil discussion."

  
"The time for civil discussion has long since passed." Covering up his worries with anger wasn't an ideal solution, but it was what he had. He tried to cast a spell, but there was no magic. None at all. And trying felt like it was taking away a part of _him_. Still, if that was what it took to stop the Black Mage once and for all, he'd gladly -- but the man in front of him waved away the pitiful bolt he'd managed to create and heaved a disappointed sigh.

  
"So _hostile_. I wonder if perhaps I went too far in giving you motivation to stop me. Perhaps toying with Lucia -- Lania --  was a bit too much. Regardless, I'm not here to fight, you know. We've had our final battle."

  
_... Oh_. "Are we... dead, then?" In that case, it was a relief that he couldn't see anyone else. If only he and the Black Mage were here, then Mercedes was all right, and so were the other heroes. He pushed down a small wave of sadness. This was his _purpose_. Avenge Aurora. Protect the world. Protect... Elluel. Hope for anything else was just that: hope. _Mercedes_... Luminous _wanted_ to see her again, but if she was safe, if Lania was safe, if the world was safe, then that was what mattered. But the man in front of him shrugged.

  
"It's not always quite that simple... or black and white. We're at a space in between. It's temporary. Transitory."

  
"I will not allow you back into Maple World --" Just when Luminous was finally starting to relax that it was _finally_ over, if the Black Mage still had some influence and could return --

  
"--And I don't _want_ to go back. No, this is the end I wanted. Not a perfect one, but against the chains of destiny and the ordaining of the Overseers, a victory is a victory." He paused and tilted his head. "You want to go back, though, don't you?"

  
"But of course! Mercedes, Lania, the other heroes..." Luminous caught a smile on the Black Mage's face. It looked almost wicked, though perhaps he was just imagining it and seeing the worst. "What happened? Are they well?" If they _weren't_ , he'd claw his way out of wherever this was -- but he wasn't in any position to _do_ anything. Grr. The Black Mage seemed to be _implying_ he'd come out of it, but he didn't _know_ , and didn't know if he could even _trust_ what was said, so all he could do was to stand there, powerless, and hope for answers from his enemy.

  
"I used the last of my strength to heal some of the harm I caused. I imagine it will be enough, but free of certainty, I can't promise you anything."

  
"Ugh..." Of course it couldn't be that simple. Of course he couldn't expect a simple, honest answer from the _Black Mage_. Come to think of it, hadn't he overheard Neinheart talking about the Black Mage being omniscient? Why would the man in front of him commit so much evil, cause so much destruction that Maple World might never recover, and _then_ heal them? The White Mage's fall from grace was a story he was familiar enough with, and it made _sense_ , especially after he'd had his own... experiences... with Darkness, but why would this horrid, evil man choose to _heal_ them in the end? If he was even telling the truth about it, of course. He had said that he was fighting the chains of destiny, and if defeat was a victory... "Why would you DO this, Black Mage?" Luminous wasn't sure if he should still call him the Black Mage, but doing so provided more distance from him and from Aurora and gave him some small comfort.

  
"My goal of a world perfected through Light was unattainable."

  
"Then why not simply abandon that goal?" It couldn't have been the White Mage's entire purpose, after all. Only a few writings from the early days of Aurora had survived, and those mostly focused on pure magical theory rather than ideology. Besides, even if _perfection_ was unattainable, surely _improvement_ was a reasonable goal.

  
"Because in the process, I achieved Trascendence. And once that line had been crossed, once I had seen reality as it was... well, I couldn't simply do nothing."

  
"So you chose to lay waste to the world? To ultimately seek to destroy _yourself_?" The other Transcendents of Maple World were relatively peaceful. They looked over their domains as they _should_. What made the Black Mage so different?

  
"I wished to destroy the world to make room for a new one that _could_ be perfected. One free from the prison of Transcendence. Or, failing that, at least find freedom from the chains that bound me."

  
"Chains? You make it sound as though you were a slave to your own power."

  
"I was, in a sense, though a slave to the Overseers rather than myself."

  
"The Overseers?" Luminous had heard the term before, but now seemed a good a time as any to ask for clarification.

  
"I can only hope you never have the need to understand. Just know that there are beings beyond Transcendents. To elaborate further would require... well, I'll not see _you_ shackled in my place."

  
"I've no desire to be." Self-preservation warred with curiosity on that particular subject and won. "Regardless. Could you in any way remove your own power?" The Transcendence Stone existed, after all. Luminous knew he might as well be arguing with a brick wall; if the Black Mage truly did have the power of omniscence, he'd already have taken everything else into consideration. But with nothing else to do, Luminous at least wanted to fully understand the situation and attempt to make sense of it.

  
"Not without also destroying myself."

  
"So, either way, you sought your own end."

  
"Correct."

  
"Why didn't you simply self-terminate, then?"

  
"Because the powers that made me a Transcendent prohibited me from ending my own existence." The White Mage closed his eyes and raised his eyebrows. "Though I suppose, in a sense, I did. You were once a part of me, after all, and you certainly played your part in freeing me from these chains."

  
"Hmph." Luminous still didn't like being reminded of his origins, even if the biggest reminder was standing -- or floating, rather -- right in front of him.

  
"You've done well, you know. When I first faced down the six of you, I planned to have you return, crafting curses for each one of you to fight to overcome and grow _stronger_ and more _motivated_ , but I still saw no way for you to succeed against me, even with allies, and even with the power of the stone."

  
"So, the Adversary..." Luminous asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

  
"They broke the chains of fate with incredible willpower and took things just SLIGHTLY off the path. And from that one change, things rippled out. It's a shame I just missed giving them a personal thank-you. Perhaps I'll meet them in the hereafter, along with the other brave heroes who were willing to challenge me directly." The White Mage smiled. "I wasn't expecting MERCEDES of all people to take up the stone after they fell, though. I expected Orchid to."

  
"I was under the impression that, with the Adversary's influence, you no longer had the power to make such predictions."

  
"Correct, but I can still make educated guesses. Immortality by itself gives insight into people and their motives. Once you've seen enough, everything seems to follow a pattern."

  
"What will happen now, then?"

  
"That, you'll simply have to see for yourself."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those curious, this is not the end of White Mage - Lumi interaction. There will be a bit more touched upon in later chapters. I opted to move them to later chapters so I could have something vaguely resembling an ending in this chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Healing light that was at once familiar and strange washed over Mercedes, dragging her back to consciousness.

  
She was alive. She knew that. Her arms still hurt from the energy swirling around the Transcendence Stone. She wondered if they'd ever _stopped_ hurting. It wasn't just pain, either; the sensation was a mix of pain, burning, and the tingling numbness of lost circulation. She looked down, half-expecting to see burns. Instead, she saw pale violet spiderweb-like patterns, thicker near her fingers and thinning up her arms to end a few centimeters above her elbows. She clenched her hands experimentally. The pain spiked enough that she temporarily lost her vision, but could still feel that she couldn't quite close her hands, as if her fingers were swollen. It hurt. It really fucking hurt. She didn't think her injuries from fighting the Black Mage the first time had hurt anywhere near this badly.

  
The fight this time might not even be over yet. She was awake again, so she had a job to do. She tried to draw her weapons, but they weren't there -- she remembered she had dropped them to grab the stone -- and the pain from the attempt sent her reeling again.

  
"Relax, Mercedes. It's over," Phantom's voice came from her side. Was it over? Was it really, truly over? She wanted to hope, wanted to believe her people were safe, but she didn't _know_ , and not having that certainty worried her. Or at least, it would have. It _should_ have. She had been holding back and fighting so hard to keep her composure earlier that she wasn't sure she'd stopped holding back. She was tired and numb; her emotions were full of pins and needles, just like her arms.

  
"What happened?" Mercedes asked, looking around. _How is everyone? How is Luminous?_

  
"It's over. He's gone," Phantom said, but his words almost didn't register as Mercedes took in the scene around her.

  
Evan was on the ground and wasn't moving. Mir was curled up protectively around him. Mercedes started to worry, but then she noticed the rise and fall of his chest. A second later, Mir noticed her gaze and gave her a reassuring nod. Good. She had been starting to think back to Freud.

  
Aran was sitting up with her legs out in front of her and holding herself up with her arms. She was taking deep breaths through gritted teeth and 'oof'ing them out. Mercedes must have been out for some time; someone had had the time to dress and bandage Aran's thigh wound from the spear, even if it looked hasty and sloppy.

  
That someone had probably been EunWol. He didn't seem to be badly hurt. He had a few cuts, but they didn't look like they'd bled much. He was on the other side of Phantom, who was white as a sheet and had one hand over his face. _Oh, Phantom..._ Any sort of face injury with his concern over his appearance... EunWol seemed to be trying to calm him down, but he looked a bit confused. Mercedes briefly wondered what was going on before deciding there was no time to worry about it.

  
Luminous was on the ground, not moving. He was almost... flickering. Mercedes wondered what was going on. The only thing she could think of was that he was so drained or weakened that he couldn't sustain a human form. If only she could share her own elven vitality and help him!

  
"I don't know if we can do anything for him. I'm sorry," EunWol said, noticing her gaze.

  
"What happened to him?" Mercedes asked, moving over closer to Luminous. She had seen the others be injured but hadn't seen anything happen to Luminous. Or to Evan, for that matter.

  
"We're not really sure. I wasn't watching too closely. I was... occupied." EunWol glanced over at Aran.

  
"You didn't need to be," Aran grumbled.

  
"I saw his barriers overload and backfire on him once or twice, but of course he neither stopped nor considered another plan, so I don't know," Phantom said. Mercedes was just about to reach for Luminous when she saw one of the few surviving walls next to them dissolve and swirl away.

  
"What's happening?" Mercedes asked.

  
"The Arcane River is probably starting to return to its natural state without the Black Mage pulling away all the Erda," Mir said. Mercedes paused to consider what that meant. They could be abandoned floating in a featureless void, or they might disappear, too.

  
She wasn't ready to die.

  
She looked around a bit more. The other groups, including the Nova, were taking care of their own and seemed to be retreating. It didn't really matter at this point. Her focus was on the other heroes, and Luminous in particular. None of them seemed to be going anywhere, and so she wouldn't go anywhere without them.

  
Even if she could convince the others to move -- and even then, she doubted Aran would be walking anywhere -- she'd have to move Luminous, and she _couldn't_. She felt weak, and her arms weren't working. No one else could, either. She imagined EunWol would try to move Aran. Phantom probably wasn't moving anyone but himself. And Mir would probably carry Evan and no one else. But no one was making any motion to move. It seemed they were all spent.

  
Damn it all. If only she could _do_ something!

  
It was probably her fault Luminous was like this. She knew it deep down, but didn't want to acknowledge it. If it hadn't been his barriers overloading, then it was probably her work with the Stone. Feelings could wait, however. As much as it hurt her, and as much as she knew it would overwhelm her later, she had to keep herself together in front of the others and figure things out. Besides, with so much going on, relief, fear, and pain, they all almost canceled each other out.

  
There was nothing she could do but hope they would all get through this together. Just as they always had. Her people needed her, but she couldn't turn her back on the heroes to save herself, especially Luminous.

  
The ground under them started to scatter and blow away, and the Erda current felt like wind in her face. Mercedes closed her eyes to keep her hair out of them.

  
"So this is how it ends, eh?" Phantom asked. "Well, we've done our part for the world, twice."

  
"There are worse ways to go out," Aran said.

  
"We all gave our oaths," EunWol said.

  
"Yep. And we put up a good fight," Aran said.

  
What felt like several minutes passed. While anything identifiable in their surroundings swirled and blew away, the heroes themselves remained. Mercedes kept _waiting_ for something to happen -- at least they'd all go out together -- but nothing did. To try to distract herself from the emotional pain she knew she'd experience if she let herself feel it, she let her thoughts wander.

  
"Say, what happened to the Stone?" Mercedes asked.

  
"I fear I don't know. My vision is, ah, somewhat impaired at the moment," Phantom said. He was *trying* to make light of it, but Mercedes could feel how much it hurt him.

  
"We were focused on the battle," EunWol said.

  
"I saw Orchid run off with something. It might have been the Stone," Mir said. _Damn, so she got her hands on it after all_?

  
That was a more unpleasant and ominous topic than what was going on around her. She turned her attention back to Luminous. Her heart was breaking; starting to feel more than just the numb shadow of emotion. She knew that using the Stone would hurt him, but she didn't think it would _kill_ him. He didn't seem to have any visible injuries, but she could _feel_ that he was close to death. And he probably wouldn't be if she hadn't used the Stone. Could they have won without it? Was this a price they simply had to pay? What if there had been another way?

  
A tear formed in the corner of her eye. She didn't bother trying to wipe it away. The other fighters were gone. It was just the Heroes now, and she trusted them. Besides, Evan was out, so he couldn't see.

  
They had already lost so many. All the crew members... How many ships had there been? At least four. She hadn't asked what had happened to the crew of Aran and EunWol's ship, but she knew that if there had been survivors, EunWol would have at least mentioned them. So much death... she couldn't lose Luminous too.

  
Not simply as another casualty, but because it was HIM. They'd hoped. They'd started to plan. She'd *encouraged* him to think of life after this. How cruel it was that she might have been the one to deny him that.

  
There was nothing she could do now, and she hated it.

  
She couldn't even hold onto him. Her arms wouldn't work.

  
"You know, this is fitting," Phantom said. Mercedes, startled out of her train of thought, turned to him. "We're all relics of the past, with our fates tied to the Black Mage." Next to him, EunWol looked down slightly. His expression was intense but unreadable. "There's no real place for us back in the world."

  
"But we've _found_ our places again! I realize your people mean less to you, but I have an _obligation_ to the people of Elluel!" Mercedes snapped. "And Luminous has Lania, and Aran has the people of Rien, and Evan --"

  
"Right. Kid still has his family. So I have an idea. Why don't we take what we have left and send him out of here?" Phantom suggested.

  
"Can we even do that? We're not magicians. Only Luminous and Evan--" Aran protested.

  
"Please. None of us are helpless, and we've all watched Freud enough times," Phantom said.

  
"Not everyone has your memory, Phantom," Mercedes said.

  
"I should remember well enough for all of us, but I don't have the power. I'll need your cooperation for this to work," Phantom said.

  
"If we have any sort of power to spare, we should be healing our wounded," EunWol said.

  
"Wounded or not doesn't matter if we're going to be stuck here forever, anyway," Aran said.

  
"Precisely. Now, Mir, you know where to go, correct?" Phantom asked. "You can help me lead this?"

  
"Right," Mir nodded.

  
"Now, everyone gather around," Phantom directed. Mercedes didn't want to leave Luminous's side, but since she couldn't do anything to help him but might be able to help Evan, she forced herself to, reminding herself that she was doing what was best for the team.

  
Aran wasn't moving, so Mir moved Evan closer to her and the remaining heroes adjusted accordingly. The four of them made a circle -- or, well, a square -- around Mir and Evan, though they barely fit with their arms fully extended. Luminous wasn't far away, but Mercedes glanced over just to be sure he was still _there_.

  
"Now, everyone, hold hands, close your eyes, and focus," Phantom said. Mercedes did as directed, taking deep breaths to try to steady herself. She could hear and feel Phantom and Mir casting, and she forced her own mana to join their spells.

  
The power increased, and she felt it flowing through her arms. Unfortunately, that worsened the burning, and it quickly reached excruciating levels. Unable to help herself, she cried out, but willed herself to keep hanging on instead of withdrawing out of reflex.

  
"Mercedes?" Phantom asked.

  
"I -- I'm all right," Mercedes said, looking around as her vision cleared from the pain. "Is Evan --" She couldn't see him anywhere, so she _hoped_ \--

  
"We got him through safely. But after that, you screamed, and --" _I did not SCREAM!_ The flash of anger temporarily pulled her out of the fogginess of exhaustion that was starting to settle in again.

  
"So it's just the five of us left. Honestly, I... I'm so glad I could see this through to the end with all of you," EunWol said.

  
"Don't talk like that. We're not dead yet." The pain was starting to settle down, and Mercedes made her way back over to Luminous. "We'll find a way through this. All of us." She wasn't going to let anyone die or rot away here, least of all _him_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should be up soon (within 3 days)! I went ahead and outlined it already when I was too tired from work to write but still wanted to do writing-like things.


	5. Chapter 5

Luminous felt as if some part of him were still floating in that transitory space where he had met the White Mage. That said, he was fairly confident he _wasn't_ there anymore. He had felt himself starting to slip away, so the White Mage had given him the last of his power to give him the strength to return.

  
"You are a part of me, yes, but you are also, in a sense, my son, and I want you to live." Luminous wasn't sure how to feel about that. It didn't matter. He'd have plenty of time to process it later. In _peace_.

  
He was finally free of the specter of that man. At least, he hoped he was.

  
Luminous opened his eyes and glanced around, trying to figure out where he was and what was going on. None of that seemed to matter, however, when he caught a glimpse of Mercedes. She was _there_. She was _alive_.

  
"Mercedes?" She turned to him, and her expression melted into profound relief.

  
"Luminous? Oh, thank goodness, I was so worried!" Tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

  
"I am fine. There is no further cause for concern." Mercedes gave a bitter chuckle, leaving Luminous wondering if he'd said something strange.

  
"After everything, you still..." Mercedes wiped away her tears with the back of her wrist. She sniffled a bit, but kept a smile on her face.

  
"Mercedes?" Luminous asked, concerned.

  
"You're _okay_."

  
"I am. Are you?"

  
"I... yeah. I think I'll be fine." Good. _Good_. It was all over. They were _safe_. There was a bit of a pause, just staring into each others' eyes with quick glances over each other to check for injury. Luminous realized just how close their faces were. He _wanted_ to kiss her. He noticed that she was looking at his lips as much as he was looking at hers.

  
Nothing else mattered.

  
"May I?" Luminous asked. Mercedes nodded. They both leaned in to kiss.

  
The first thing he thought was how soft her lips were, even though they'd been stuck in the Labyrinth for so long without proper hydration, let alone proper skin care. He was self-conscious about his own lips, and not entirely sure what he was supposed to be doing with his mouth at first, but soon enough those worries faded away to static.

  
They were _there_. It was okay. It was going to be okay. Mercedes was there in his arms and she was _all right_. They had each other. He could feel her hair against the backs of his hands and the comforting warmth of her presence, like a spring breeze. Just the physical reality of it all, having her so close to him, sharing that moment of intimacy.

  
That was all that mattered.

  
"And you say I'm too public about these things." Luminous forced his brain back into gear after hearing Phantom's voice. He wasn't sure which one of them broke off the kiss, but he knew he was beet red and Mercedes seemed a half-second away from pulling a gun on Phantom, though he doubted she'd actually shoot. What a shame.

  
"PHANTOM!" Mercedes nearly shrieked his name.

  
"Oh, let them have this," Aran said. She gave a short half-laugh. "Don't mind us." Aran too!? Aran would tease them less than Phantom would, but still...

  
"Aran!"

  
Face still burning, he looked around. EunWol was there as well as Aran and Phantom, but so far he hadn't said anything. Luminous couldn't help but notice how battered the other heroes looked. He wondered for a moment where Evan had gone off to. At least he wasn't there and _dead_.

  
His magic felt uneven, and he _still_ felt like a part of him was floating in-between. The relief on seeing Mercedes, that moment of bliss, and the ensuing shame were all starting to be replaced by worry. What if something happened with his magic? Between their injuries and how odd he was feeling, was this another round of curses from the Black Mage? True, the White Mage had so far appeared to have kept his word, but Luminous wouldn't put anything past him.

  
"How are you feeling, Luminous?" Mercedes seemed to have mostly calmed down. He envied her in that.

  
"I confess, I don't know. What happened? Where are we?" They were still alive and _together_ and free from the Black Mage, and that was the most important thing, but the rest of the situation could be ignored no longer. Luminous tried to stand, but didn't quite feel attached to his body. On top of that, physics didn't seem to make much sense at the moment. They were in a nearly formless void similar to the one he'd been in earlier. There was some sort of gradient around them and pink mist, with no real way of measuring distance past the heroes.

  
Perhaps if he focused on his body and tried to recenter himself, he could make sense of it.

  
Things were starting to hurt now, old and new injuries alike. He'd have to live with the pain, however; his magic was unstable enough that he didn't want to risk trying to heal himself.

  
"Well, the Arcane River collapsed around us and we couldn't get out on time. I -- well, _we_ , I suppose -- sent Evan back, but it took all the power we had," Phantom explained. Good. So Evan was safe. "It's just the five of us now. So the world can call us heroes and honor our sacrifices for another few hundred years and then forget about us."

  
"Phantom, I _told_ you to stop talking like that!" Mercedes put her hands on her hips, but flinched. Luminous's world narrowed down to her again. Now he saw purple lines on her hands. _How_ could he have missed that earlier? Had he just been so relieved to see her alive and so full of hope that she was fine that he'd ignored anything that didn't fit the narrative he'd built for himself? It was inexcusable.

  
"Mercedes, your hands!"

  
"It's okay. Don't worry about it," Mercedes said, shifting her hands behind her back and out of his view. He couldn't help but hear the pain in her voice. _Did I fail to protect her enough? Did the Stone do this to her instead? What happened?_ The White Mage had said that he'd healed them, but if it wasn't enough, of course it wasn't enough, he should have known better than to trust him. She was injured, and he couldn't just ignore it, even if she told him to.

  
"Would you like me to try to --" Luminous started.

  
"No," Mercedes said.

  
It felt like a physical rebuke to be rejected like that, especially after their moment earlier. It _already_ hurt to see her in pain. But, he had to admit, she was probably right to refuse. His magic still didn't feel right. If he wouldn't risk healing himself, he _couldn't_ risk healing Mercedes.  
He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he couldn't protect her and _then_ hurt her while trying to help her.

  
"There are more pressing matters," Mercedes explained, noticing his expression. "I appreciate the offer, Luminous, really, but we have more important things to worry about."

  
"Escaping this place, I presume?" He supposed it was good to have a goal to focus on to push back the embarrassment and worry.

  
"Precisely."

  
"And it's... best if we do that sooner rather than later," EunWol said, offering a quick glance in Aran's direction. She returned his look with an indignant glare, but there was less sharpness in it than usual. Now that EunWol had brought it to his attention, Aran did seem to be faring the worst out of them. She was a very tough and driven warrior, so if even she was struggling...

  
"How long have we been here?" Luminous asked.

  
"Anyone's guess, really," EunWol said. "I'd say a few hours, at most."

  
"Come on, it's been at _least_ two hours, Eun," Aran said. Her voice sounded almost distant. Luminous wondered how much time he had left to get them out of there before they lost her. He supposed he could offer to heal her to buy them more time, but not only did he feel it might cause a complicated social situation if he was able to heal Aran but not Mercedes, but he also didn't want to risk hurting her, as well. His magic felt a *bit* more stable now, but he still wouldn't risk it. If she were a stranger, perhaps he would, but she was a friend.

  
In addition to that, he would probably need all the power he had to get them out of there, and couldn't spare much focus or mana on healing. After all, he highly doubted he'd get Phantom's help this time.

  
Not that he needed it!

  
Still, if they had successfully gotten Evan out, then he could ask for advice. Luminous looked over at Mercedes. She met his gaze for a second and they both looked away, embarrassed. He still couldn't believe that had happened, in front of all the other heroes, no less! He had just been so relieved and so _happy_ , but forgetting to notice who else was there...

  
He needed to focus. He could cooperate with Phantom if it was for her sake.

  
"Phantom."

  
"Yes?"

  
"You successfully extricated Evan from this place, correct?"

  
"Correct." Phantom's voice held a slight edge, as if he anticipated a fight. Luminous noticed that Phantom had torn some strips from his cape to use as improvised bandages over part of his face. He felt conflicted. On the one hand, Phantom cared far too much about his appearance and something like this might humble him, but on the other hand, this wasn't Phantom's own fault. This was something the Black Mage did, and Luminous hated him for it. How dare he cause even more harm to the heroes?

  
"Did you do so by conventional teleportation or through Erda manipulation?"

  
"Conventional teleportation."

  
"How did you find a starting point and a destination?"

  
"Mir provided that." Of course Phantom couldn't actually be helpful. At least he was refraining from any snide remarks. For now. Though Luminous was sure they'd come out at some point.

  
Well, then. Luminous had his pride as a magician at stake as well as their lives. He would simply figure something out on his own.

  
It was much easier if he knew it was _possible_ , which he hadn't in the Labyrinth. Uncertainty -- and responsibility -- had held him back then. It wouldn't now. The Black Mage was gone. They had no more reason to be here. They had every reason to _leave_ , in fact.

  
They needed to get out safely and return to their people in Maple World. He had to see if Lania was safe. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to her in his absence. Mercedes had a responsibility to return to Elluel, and her people needed her just as Lania needed him. The others were surely missing their homes as well.

  
Luminous supposed he would simply have to assume that their starting point was near the Temple of Time. Making that their destination as well would save energy and trouble.

  
Besides, the Temple of Time had many large, open spaces, and that lessened the chances of a mishap.

  
The chances were already much higher than he would have liked. There was too much uncertainty, but they were almost there, and Luminous wouldn't let hesitation stop him. They were injured. Even if Mercedes didn't want him to heal her, she would need someone to look at her, the sooner the better. And of course Aran and Phantom needed help as well.

  
"Would you like help with anything?" Mercedes asked.

  
"No, I believe I have the situation well in hand, thank you." Confidence. Hesitation and uncertainty would only make things worse.

  
Luminous focused on the magic around him, trying to get a more precise location and minimize the risk of teleportation. As he reached out, he felt the Erda responding to him more than he was used to. He supposed that, between the Stone and whatever the White Mage had done, he probably had more power at his disposal now.

  
Unfortunately, even if he managed to keep his magic in balance, power meant little if he didn't have _practiced control_.

  
This wasn't just blind teleportation. This was a learning experience as well. A learning experience with too much at stake.

  
He took his time, blocking out everything else to focus. After a few minutes of feeling and listening, he felt he had a good enough grasp of where they were relative to the Three Doors. He'd aim to teleport them just outside of the middle door.

  
All that was left was to actually do it. He moved a bit closer to Mercedes; on the off chance there was a mishap, at least they'd end up in the same place sharing the same fate. Still, he couldn't afford to make a mistake. Everyone in Elluel was counting on them.

  
"Be ready," he told the other heroes.

  
It felt like trying to precisely move a heavy weight as far above his head as his arms could reach and then set it down gently. He managed, but after he felt them arrive, backlash started to hit. He fell to his knees.

  
He wasn't used to this new power, especially since he was still weak from exhaustion, injuries, and near-death. Still, he _had_ to be sure they were safe. He opened his eyes and caught a glimpse of Mercedes reaching for him with the familiar backdrop of the Temple of Time before exhaustion forced him to close his eyes again. He could feel some unfamiliar presence looming over him, but he was too tired to think too much about it.

  
He felt Mercedes's hand on his shoulder, but that was it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter up! Thanks for reading this far!
> 
> The next chapter is going to be a filler chapter from a different point of view, and I don't know when I'll get it done. I have a, uh, side project / crime against the English language that insists upon being written, so I'll probably work on that for a week or so and then come back to this story.


	6. Filler Chapter

Lania had neither seen nor heard of any new monsters attacking Elluel for some time. From what she could see, most of the chains had been cleared out, and the few that had remained had come crashing down one by one over the past day or so. While she was a bit worried that people might have been injured or killed by the crashes, she could barely focus on that beyond the realization that it might finally be _over_.

  
As Lania, she was glad. It had been a hectic, stressful, and honestly _terrifying_ few years. Beneath that relief was a faint feeling of vindication that she supposed must have come from her time as Lucia. She had some trouble reconciling it all, but that was okay. She would have time to process her feelings and memories. She would get through it.

  
Even Penny was finally settling down and had come out of hiding.

  
Lania had to admit that she'd finally been getting used to Elluel and settling in, but she still wanted things to go back to the way they were. She wondered when Luminous would get back so they could start working on fixing the house. She didn't want to imagine what kind of mess the monsters had left this time, never mind the initial damage from the chain. The house wouldn't be the same if they couldn't save the center plant.

  
Luminous was surprisingly good with plants. Maybe he'd be able to take care of it when he got back.

  
He _would_ be back... right?

  
She couldn't help but worry sometimes. Vieren had been telling her that it was fine and she had no reason to worry. He had said that they thought they'd lost him before, but he turned out okay when fighting the Black Mage the first time -- Vieren had paused and then amended, 'well, _mostly_ okay' -- and he would come back safely this time too.

  
Lania wasn't the only one worried, either. She sometimes saw the Elders whispering nervously in private. She didn't need them to tell her that they were worried about Mercedes. They always appeared resolute in public, but Lania knew and understood their fear.

  
But they had to have faith.

  
After all, Luminous hadn't even given her a proper good-bye (not that he was great at remembering that to begin with). It simply wouldn't be _fair_ if he never came back.

  
Come to think of it, this was the longest he'd been missing since he left after the accident. It had been weeks since she had seen him. At least she knew that he was there with Mercedes and the other heroes, so she hoped he had been keeping safe.

  
She'd been worried for her own safety. The Elders had sent her into hiding several times over the course of those few weeks to keep her safe. She'd also had a _terrible_ fright when the barrier had fallen. She'd been nearly frantic for hours until Athena had sent reinforcements to turn the tide and she'd had a chance to examine the crystal and see that Vieren had retreated inside of it safely.

  
They had discussed trying to set the barrier back up again, but Philius had been so tired from fighting to defend Elluel that he wasn't sure he could do it, especially without Luminous there to lead the spellcasting.

  
At least they wouldn't need to. It was all over now, unless this was the eye of the storm, so to speak.

  
All they needed was for the heroes and other fighters to return safely.

  
Surely they'd receive word from Ereve soon, right? Even if things... she didn't want to think the words and make them reality, if only in her mind.

  
Sharp, stinging pain drew her attention, and she looked down to see she'd accidentally caught her finger with the knife while cutting up apples. She winced then went over to take care of it, pressing down to stop the bleeding.

  
She hoped Penny didn't see that. She'd never hear the end of it. It had been so long since she'd had an accident in the kitchen. She was probably too nervous to focus, and was distracting herself too much.

  
The cut wasn't that bad, but the apples were going to brown while she was tending to the cut. At least -- and it hurt to think this -- but at least she was only cooking for herself, so it wouldn't matter. They tasted pretty much the same, anyway.

  
Lania glanced out the window just in time to see a familiar outline in the distance. She nearly let go of her finger in surprise. That had to be Evan and Mir!  
Maybe he was bringing news, or bringing the others back with him. She hastily bandaged up her finger, hoping it wouldn't bleed through, and dashed off to the courtyard where it looked like they were heading to to land.

  
It seemed she wasn't the only one with that idea; in spite of her haste, the Elders had made it to the courtyard before her. Penny flew over from who knew where and landed in her arms. She caught the cat out of habit and watched Evan and Mir descend.

  
Her hope died the instant they were close enough for Lania to see Evan's expression. Hardened. Trying to put on a brave face in spite of it.

  
Whatever his news was, it wasn't good, and if Evan was there and Luminous and Mercedes weren't, especially since Evan would probably have visited his own home first... Lania wasn't stupid. She _knew_.

  
She knew in her heart that this was a possibility but she wasn't ready to face it. Too bad. It as right there in front of her, and she couldn't turn Evan away even if she wanted to. She had to hear him out. He at least deserved that.

  
"Evan. Welcome." Astilda bowed her head slightly.

  
"Thank you, Astilda." Evan nodded and looked around. "I, uh, I have some news that might not be easy to hear." _Here it comes_...

  
"News about the battle, I presume? I believe we should move this to a different location," Philius said. _Don't draw it out!_ Lania wanted to protest, but at the same time, she understood a need for privacy.

  
"My office is just a little ways away," Danika said. "Let's go there." Evan and Mir looked at each other and nodded. Evan dismounted, then followed the Elders and Lania, with Danika in the lead, inside.

  
Mir fit through the first door with about a foot of clearance, but Evan had to help push him through Danika's office door. Once everyone was safely inside, Danika closed the door and Philius warded it.

  
"Please, tell us the news you've traveled so far to deliver," Philius said. "And forgive us the secrecy. We don't want unrest in the event of..." Philius swallowed. Lania knew that look on his face. Addressing the possibility hurt too much to speak of it.

  
"W-well, uh, we won. I'm sure Cygnus and Neinheart will send the official news of victory soon, but, Mercedes..." Evan paused and glanced at Lania. "... and Luminous, and the rest of the heroes, well, they're kind of... stuck."

  
"Stuck?" Philius asked. Lania let her shoulders down just slightly, in the process dislodging Penny, who gave a short, irritated meow before repositioning. 'Stuck' was better than 'dead'.

  
"Yeah, they got caught in the collapse of the Arcane River. We did, too, but they sent us back," Evan explained, glancing down and away and rubbing the back of his head self-consciously.

  
"They sent you back. Will they return soon, as well?" Philius was keeping his voice carefully even.

  
"I, uh, don't know. Mir would know better. I was kind of, um --" Evan started.

  
"Passed out from working yourself too hard," Mir finished. "Master, I _told_ you that you should have trusted me more and not relied on your own strength so much!"

  
"Sorry, Mir."

  
"Well, it's over. We won. You're safe. Besides, you know I only accept apologies in food."

  
"Yeah... um, I'd hate to be rude, but Mir and I haven't had time to stop since we left home, is there any chance...?"

  
"Food can be arranged, and I'm sure we can spare you a room to rest as well, but we'd appreciate it if you could tell us anything you know about our ruler first," Astilda said.

  
"Yeah, we need to know sooner rather than later so we can start figuring out a plan," Danika added. "So, how's Mercedes? Is she coming back? If so, when?"

  
"And what about Luminous and the others, as well?" Philius asked.

  
"I don't know. I'm sorry," Evan said.

  
"It took all they had to send us back," Mir said. "They weren't doing great when I saw them last, but they *are* Heroes. They'll probably figure something out. Eventually. I hope."

  
"Not doing great?" Lania asked. She knew it probably wasn't her place to speak up -- though it seemed Luminous's 'honored guest of the Queen' status extended to her as well -- but she _had_ to know.

  
"It was a tough battle. They're injured. Aran and Luminous got the worst of it."

  
"How is he? What happened?" She was definitely speaking over someone now; she could have sworn she heard Astilda start to say something just as she did, but she had to ask. She had to know. If the situation was bad and Luminous was facing the worst of it...

  
"We're not really sure, actually. What's wrong with him is more magical than physical, but beyond that, it's anyone's guess. Just that it looks bad. He was still unconscious, last I saw him," Mir supplied.

  
"And Mercedes?" Danika asked.

  
"I can't really explain what's going on with her, either. I think it was something with the Transcendence Stone. But last I saw her, she was up and moving around and helping."

  
And that was good news. But...

  
... If she'd already gotten all the news they had about Luminous, she had no more reason to stay there. Even if it didn't matter if her apples browned, she had still left some cookies in the oven and couldn't risk leaving it unattended for _too_ long.

  
"I'm sorry, I have to go," Lania said.

  
"Lania?" Evan looked at her pleadingly. "I'm sorry, I wish I could have done something, it's --"

  
"Evan, it's not your fault. Don't worry about it." Lania forced a smile, hoping to reassure him. "I just have something to take care of in the kitchen."

  
Lania couldn't meet the Elders' eyes as she made her way out the door, though she did notice Philius briefly dispel the ward to allow her to pass. She moved Penny under her arm to use the doorknob. Penny didn't protest. In fact, Penny had been unusually silent the whole time. She was sure it would be made up for, however.

  
She closed the door behind her and shifted Penny back to both arms, making sure to hide her injured finger under Penny's belly where it couldn't be seen.

  
She felt bad, leaving. She wanted to be a good host, but she* _wasn't_ the host this time. The Elders were. She'd probably be forgiven. They would understand.

  
"You seem sad." And there it was. Of course Penny would have something to say.

  
"I am sad, Penny," Lania replied. It was a lot more complicated than mere sadness, but she wouldn't deny that was part of it.

  
"Do you know what you'll do now?"

  
"I don't know."

  
"If the war's over, we can go back. Rebuild. Finally get back to normal."

  
"It won't be back to normal if we don't have Luminous there, though." The possibility that he wouldn't come back felt so much more real now. She was still trying to hold onto hope, but... even if he did come back, what would happen? He was already injured when he left. If it was worse now...

  
"Life was a lot more peaceful before he showed up."

  
"... True, but that doesn't mean it was better." Lania paused briefly, thinking of her life before... but if she looked too far back, she kept running into memories of Lucia, and Luminous was there, too. "And Penny, how can you say that!?" It felt as if Penny had already written him off.

  
"I'm just stating facts."

  
"Penny!" She would have dropped the cat, but she remembered at the last minute to keep her injury hidden.

  
"Stop worrying so much. He'll be back if he can. And if Mercedes comes back, maybe these elves will settle down a bit so we can focus on planning our next step." Lania supposed that, in spite of being so emotionally _insensitive_ , Penny must have been a lot more sensitive to disruption than she was. Lania was, of course, aware of the tension around her, but it was nothing compared to her own, and didn't bother her. "The important thing is, we're safe."

  
"That's important, yes, but the world is more than just us, you know!" Vieren was trapped in the crystal. Luminous... she still didn't _know_. Same with Mercedes. Lania thought she actually missed her, and wasn't just feeling concern over her absence secondhand from the Elders. At least Evan was back safely, but... she needed time.

  
Time, and better news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next chapter, we resume our normal narration pattern. I hope to have it up in a week or two.


	7. Chapter 7

Mercedes hugged a pillow to her chest as she tried to adjust to the room around her.

  
Right after they had arrived in the Temple of Time, she'd nearly collapsed, shaking and so tired she could cry. She'd managed to keep her emotional composure around the temple keepers who had run to help, but only barely.

  
The temple keepers had escorted them off to be looked at by healers, and then provided them with clean clothes, food, and lodging.

  
The healers had let Mercedes go earlier than the others. In the hours since, Mercedes had had a chance -- finally! -- to take a bath, and had gotten changed into a nightgown.

  
She just wished that the healers had been able to do _more_. They'd let her go so early because they had said there was nothing they could do beyond giving her some pain medicine and saying they hoped it would get better with time. Mercedes certainly hoped so! She could barely use her bowguns like this, and she highly doubted she'd be able to play the harp. If she couldn't fight to protect her people and she couldn't play the harp in peace for her loved ones, what was there for her?

  
After her bath and what was probably an hour of wallowing in her own misery, she'd decided to check in on the other heroes to take some of the focus off of herself and her own struggles.

  
EunWol was fine. He had actually gone to check on her before she could get to him. He had said he was feeling fine and that the temple keepers had given him a clean bill of health, though a few injuries might scar. He seemed a bit more emotionally present and centered than he had been, too.

  
Phantom, it seemed, had barely had the energy to greet her when she'd knocked on the door and introduced herself. It wasn't hard to see why. His injury would leave a prominent scar no matter what, and there had been some concern that, if things got any worse, he might lose his eye. He'd _tried_ to joke about it, but all the jokes had fallen flat.

  
Aran seemed to have recovered from the shock. She was back to her usual self, though she told Mercedes that it would probably take months for her leg to fully heal. Mercedes could still read some pain in her expression, but she was putting on a brave face and a smile.

  
As for Luminous...

  
She had looked for him, only to find out that, while she had been visiting the others, the temple keepers had gotten him changed and moved him to a cot in the same room as her, and one of the temple keepers had stayed with him long enough to explain to her that while they could treat his physical injuries, there was nothing they could do about his magic and so all they could do was to wait and see.

  
It simply wasn't _fair_. He had been dying, then he was okay, and now this...

  
Was it all worth it? And what was even going on with him?

  
Mercedes had talked to the temple keepers and learned that Alpha and Beta had handled the power transferred to them just fine, so that narrowed down the possibilities of what was going on. But they were a full Transcendent, and Luminous wasn't.

  
She walked over to him, knelt down, and gently pulled the covers up to his chin, both to keep him warm and to cover up the scar left from her ricochet.

  
Seeing it reminded her of just how much she'd hurt him. She pushed away the thought that this was all her fault. She did what she had to for her people to minimize losses. Maybe there was another way, a better way, but she didn't know, and she never _would_ know.

  
Luminous understood that she did what she had to do, but knowing that he understood in some ways made it worse.

  
She'd get through it. She had to. That didn't mean it didn't still hurt.

  
She knew going in that anything could happen, and that it was possible they'd lose, or they'd win and none of them would survive. But they'd saved the world, right? And they were all still alive. They'd all done their parts. That should have been what mattered.

  
Protecting the world and their people was the most important thing to both of them. They'd talked about it. They'd _agreed_ that the Black Mage came first, before love. That determination and clarity of purpose was one of the things she loved about him. But still...

  
She had to focus. She had other responsibilities as well. She would need to get word out to Ereve and Elluel that they weren't dead. She imagined that one of the others would also send word to Ereve, but better they received too many reports than too few. And as for Elluel...

  
Elluel...

  
She'd need to tell the blaze wizard at some point that her girlfriend didn't make it. It would probably be for the best if she omitted the exact details of how it had happened. If the blaze wizard was even still alive. If Elluel was safe...

  
There was so little Mercedes could do from here, and she hated it. She had taken the fight to the Black Mage, made the best decisions she could for her people, regardless of her personal feelings, so why did she still feel so bad?

  
They had lost so many, and the war had been such a huge part of her life. Even if the time frame, not counting the time spent in ice, had been just the blink of an eye to an elf, so much had happened.

  
She'd lost sight of how things used to be.

  
She had thought she would find peace with the end of the immediate threat to her people, but instead she felt hollow. Maybe she'd built up so much anticipation that nothing could ever satisfy it. Maybe she was too worried about Luminous and her people. Maybe she felt she failed her people anyway with her injury.

  
There was nothing she could do but keep pushing on. There was no point wallowing in despair. She'd been through hardships before. Her people couldn't afford to have her be a physical and emotional wreck as well as a physical one.

  
The Maple World was at peace now, right? Even if there was still unfinished business in Grandis, _her_ people would be safe. The Empress would keep any territorial disputes down. Mercedes wouldn't need to fight. She wouldn't need war. She wouldn't need her bowguns, anyway.

  
But if that was the case, then what was she supposed to do?

  
For now, she supposed all she could do was rest, regroup, regain her strength, and hope. Maybe she'd feel better in the morning. Maybe she'd feel better after a hundred mornings. Maybe she'd be able to play the harp again, for her elders, for Luminous, for her friends, for the children.

  
How long had it been since she'd slept in a bed?

  
She was just about to lay down when she heard a knock at the door.

  
"Who is it?" Mercedes asked, trying to keep her internal groaning out of her voice.

  
"Sorry to disturb your rest, Your Majesty, but you have a visitor." Mercedes didn't recognize the voice, but she assumed it was one of the temple keepers. Still, a visitor? There hadn't been enough time for news and travel. She didn't want to be seen like this -- half-undressed and injured -- but if someone had come all the way out to the Temple of Time for her, she couldn't exactly turn whoever it was away.

  
"Who?"

  
"Sylvidia." _Sylvidia_. Mercedes relaxed and tensed up at the same time. If Sylvidia had left Elluel and gone to the Temple of Time, then what if something terrible had happened? But at the same time, it was _Sylvidia_ , and she might have news...

  
Mercedes' instinct was to say 'send her in', but the room would be far too crowded with Sylvidia there, and besides, Sylvidia really didn't like feeling contained and boxed in. The other option was going out to see her, and while Mercedes didn't really want to be seen in her nightclothes, her regular clothes were a mess. Besides, it was _Sylvidia_. It didn't matter. Mercedes gave one last look in Luminous's direction, reminding herself that there was nothing she could do for him, before she made her way to the door and stepped outside.

  
"Take me to her."

  
"Right this way."

  
Mercedes followed the temple keeper to the entrance to the temple. She couldn't help but notice that there were far fewer temple keepers walking about than she remembered from the last time she had visited.

  
Many of them had gone with the Alliance fleet. Mercedes realized that many of them must not have come back.

  
After what felt like minutes, they finally stepped outside the temple. Mercedes took a deep breath of fresh air. The wind in her hair seemed to blow some life back into her. There was very little greenery or nature, but there was _sky_ , and Sylvidia was there.

  
She barely noticed the temple keeper bow her head and walk away.

  
Sylvidia's eyes widened and focused on Mercedes' hands. She almost wanted to hide them, but there was no point. Sylvidia hesitantly stepped forward. With the light reflecting off her fur at a different angle, Mercedes could see a fresh scar on Sylvidia's flank.

  
Mercedes wanted to say something, but she couldn't find the words. Her mouth was dry. She swallowed. If Sylvidia had been injured, then clearly, Elluel had been hit hard. She had too many questions, and couldn't decide which to ask first.

  
"Sylvidia... what happened?" _To my people? To you?_ If she had done all that she had, sacrificed all that she had, and Elluel still wasn't safe... Mercedes didn't know if she could handle it. She felt as though she were standing at the edge of a precipice.

  
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I'm just... glad you're here. I was so worried when I saw Evan fly in but didn't see you. Your Elders couldn't tell me anything useful, so I flew here in hopes that you'd come back when you got out. It looks like I was right. I didn't even need to wait long this time." Mercedes felt a pang, remembering the past.

  
"So Evan made it back safely? And the Elders are well?" At least that was good news. "What about the tree? What about Lania? How many losses did we take?"

  
"Yes, and yes. The tree is fine. Lania's okay. I don't have any numbers for you, but in the end we had about as many losses while you were gone as we did during the recent battle for Elluel. I... I'm sorry I couldn't do more." The news hurt, but at least it was better than she had feared.

  
"You fought, didn't you?" Mercedes asked, noticing now that Sylvidia's armor had taken a beating. That Sylvidia would fight for Elluel even without her there...

  
"Of course! I couldn't just stand around watching everyone else fight and let the Black Mage win. You were fighting so hard for us, the least we could do was to fight hard for you, too."

  
"Sylvidia..."

  
"But enough about me. What happened to you?"

  
"It's... complicated." Mercedes hadn't previously discussed the Stone and Luminous's connection with it with anyone but the Elders, at least not that she could recall, and she didn't want to explain from the beginning now. Why hadn't she trusted Sylvidia more? "But I'll be okay." Mercedes took a deep breath. "I want you to return to Elluel and inform them I'll return when I can. I'm safe, but..." how best to put this? "I'm injured, and am taking some time to heal before I go back." Some time. Not a specific time frame. Good. That would let her work through things at her own pace but still reassure her people that their leader hadn't abandoned them.

  
A sudden surge of anger gave her strength. _This will NOT* defeat me_. Maybe it was the fresh air, or maybe it was Sylvida's presence and the memories of all they had overcome together.

  
"I can do that."

  
"Thank you."

  
"But I have to ask, what about the other heroes? Luminous?" Sylvidia must have noticed Mercedes' expression, because she lowered her head. "... Oh."

  
"He's -- they're alive. But I believe we'll all be staying here for a while."

  
"I see," Sylvidia said, then paused for a second. "Well, when you are ready to go back, just let me know. I'd be happy to fly you back home... both of you."

  
"Sylvida..." Mercedes swallowed. "Thank you."

  
"It's the least I can do. I'll let the Elders know, and we'll all be here for you when you're ready."

  
"I shouldn't be too long." Mercedes still had her duty and responsibility as a monarch, after all. The Elders could govern and handle paperwork, but she owed it to her people to *be* there. Just... not like this. Not now.

  
"I'm glad to hear that. I can't say I like it much up here, but," Sylvidia looked out at the sunset and swished her tail. Mercedes wondered how long it had been since she had seen the sun. She _missed_ it. "It has a good view. Maybe sometime we can visit here again."

  
"We should. Once everything is settled and back to normal."

  
If it ever could be again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a narrative mess and I apologize. Processing emotions after trauma isn't always clear and straightforward, and the outline for this chapter only went through one round of untangling and reorganization rather than two.
> 
> I hope to have the next chapter up by Sunday/Monday-ish!


	8. Chapter 8

As awareness trickled back in, Luminous tried to get his bearings. He had no idea where he was, what day it was, or what had happened, but he had a vague sense of urgency that prevented him from trying to slip back under. That said, he didn't quite feel like moving, so he decided to start with an examination of himself.

  
His magic still felt decidedly 'off'. It wasn't drained, exactly. Not mana drained, anyhow, though he was mentally, physically, and emotionally drained.

  
He felt as though _something_ had happened to him just as he was losing his grip on consciousness last time, but since nothing major seemed to have come of it, he'd avoid focusing on it in lieu of more important things.

  
For example, where was Mercedes? That gave him enough motivation to force his eyes open and glance around. It seemed he was on a cot in what he assumed from the decor to be a room in the Temple of Time. Someone had gotten him changed into nightclothes. Mercedes was on a bed in the same room. She seemed to be sleeping; Luminous imagined she had been very tired, as she had fallen asleep with her hair ornament in.

  
She didn't appear injured, thankfully. Good. He didn't want to wake her; she looked serene and at peace.

  
Finally. This was what they had been fighting for. Now she could rest. She had earned it.

  
Luminous turned his attention back to himself. He was alive, clearly. The danger had passed. He was finally free of the Black Mage, the specter looming over Aurora and its legacy for his whole life.

  
On that note, Luminous wasn't quite sure how to feel about him after having met him. He had untold depths of hatred for that man, but their talk had sprinkled a layer of understanding on top of it.

  
There was no point in hanging onto that hatred now, however. The Black Mage was gone, and Luminous remained. He had been a part of him, yes, but he was his own person, just as Mercedes and others had assured him, living on as himself, free of the Black Mage's shadow.

  
Just to be sure, Luminous tried out a few basic spell practice exercises unlikely to noticeably drain his energy or wake Mercedes. Since, judging by the successful teleportation, he could still make use of general magic and mana manipulation, he decided to practice with light and darkness.

  
It seemed both still obeyed his command and flowed through him as a part of him. His magic still _did_ feel strange in a way that wasn't the usual temporary imbalance of overuse of one school, but he didn't feel as though he was in any danger of losing control.

  
He wasn't sure if he should be disappointed or relieved. Even with the Black Mage gone, Luminous wouldn't return to being only the Magician of Light. At the same time, Darkness had been a part of him for years now, and he would miss it if were gone. It was a necessary part of the balance of the world, after all.

  
The Black Mage was gone. Mercedes was safe. His mind and magic were intact. He just needed to know if Lania was safe. Then he felt as though he could sleep a hundred years.

  
Perhaps he'd get some news if he wandered about.

  
He got up as quietly as he could to avoid waking Mercedes. He didn't feel like getting changed, though he did look around for his gear. While he couldn't find his old clothes, his weapon was leaning up against the wall in the corner of the room. He debated whether or not to take it with him, before ultimately deciding to go without.

  
Luminous made his way to the door. His legs felt weak and shaky, but he would manage. Once there, he carefully turned the handle and peered outside. He concluded from the architecture that he was most definitely in the Temple of Time, just a part of it he hadn't been in before. Between that and how the nightclothes looked, he assumed the temple keepers were looking after them for now. Good.

  
The stillness, silence, and emptiness of people but presence of power reminded him a bit of the Aurora temple. He wondered in passing if the powers of Life had their own temple as the other two Transcendental powers did.

  
Thinking about Transcendents reminded him that the White Mage had asked him to pass on messages. Hmph. Luminous certainly didn't want to do the Black Mage's bidding, but EunWol's message was important. Luminous supposed he should go look for him, or at least, someone who could direct him to him.

  
"Luminous?" Mercedes' voice floated in from the back of the room. Luminous turned to see her standing up, taking a step forward, with her nightgown flowing behind her. "Oh, good. I'm glad to see you up. How are you feeling?"

  
"I'm fine. I apologize if I woke you. How are you?"

  
"I'm all right, and don't worry, you didn't wake me. I can't sleep the day away, anyway. Where are you off to?"

  
"I wished to pass a message on to EunWol." Mercedes tilted her head slightly. Luminous took a step back from the door.

  
"A message?" Mercedes asked. Luminous glanced away. Mercedes knew about his relation to the Black Mage, of course, and he trusted her, but he suddenly felt insecure and worried that _this_ might be too much.

  
"Could we discuss what happened?"

  
"Certainly." Mercedes sat down on the bed and motioned for Luminous to sit next to her. "What would you like to talk about?" She asked, once Luminous had taken a seat. Luminous took a second to properly organize his thoughts before he spoke.

  
"... I saw the White Mage."

  
"You mean the Black Mage?"

  
"Yes, but _as_ the White Mage."

  
"When? Where?" Mercedes narrowed her eyes and reached down slightly as if she were about to draw her weapons. Luminous knew her anger wasn't directed at him, but he still decided it was best to proceed cautiously.

  
"When I was unconscious after the battle, I saw him in what I suppose could be considered a vision." Mercedes folded her hands across her lap, though Luminous couldn't help but notice she still held some tension in her shoulders.

  
"I see. And you're sure this was *after* the battle? Are you worried that he's not completely gone?"

  
"Not particularly, no,"

  
"Then what is it?"

  
"He requested I pass on messages."

  
"And you're doing it?" Mercedes sounded skeptical. "You trust him?" Her questions hurt, though he knew they were justified. At least she was merely skeptical rather than hostile. He knew how bad this looked, especially given his origins. But Mercedes had trusted him before, even when he couldn't trust himself.

  
"No, but EunWol's message, if true, is of tremendous importance to him."

  
"Very well." Neither of them said anything for a moment, and both looked down and away slightly. Then Mercedes swallowed.

"Luminous, I'm sorry."

  
"Hm?"

  
"I know that you know what's important. We have to prioritize our people's safety more than anything else. But I... I'm sorry I hurt you. At Elluel. In the Labyrinth. And then with the Stone."

  
"Mercedes --" On the one hand, if 'very well' was all she had to say on the previous matter and she had changed the subject, he supposed it was settled and not too much trust has been lost. On the other hand, he still didn't feel like the situation was resolved, and it hurt him to see her blame herself like this.

  
"Even if it was your choice, and then an accident, and then for the greater good, I... I never want to hurt the people I love. I just want you to know that. As the Ruler of the Elves I should be thanking you for what you've done for Elluel and for me personally. But as a hero, as your friend, as..." Mercedes broke off. "I'm sorry."

  
"Mercedes, please, we've discussed this." She looked back over at him. "I do not hold you responsible. We do what we must."

  
"But remember? All those months ago, when I first went to visit you? You were so worried about the Stone, and I convinced you not to worry about it, yet I was the one who used it to hurt you."

  
"Well, I'm fine now, aren't I? Moreover, since the Stone was required for the battle, I'm relieved that _you_ were the one who used it."

  
"What do you mean?"

  
"I trust you. I wouldn't have been able to stomach feeling that..." Luminous searched for a word. "Powerless, due to someone else's actions." It wasn't a perfect fit for the situation, but it would have to do.

  
"Is that what it felt like?"

  
"I'm reluctant to revisit that memory, so I'd prefer not to elaborate."

  
"I see. Sorry for bringing it up, then."

  
"It can't have been pleasant for you, either." Luminous looked down at Mercedes' hands as she clenched her fists, winced, and released.

  
"It really wasn't. I hope I never have to do that again."

  
"We can agree on that, at least."

  
"So you do blame me?"

  
"Not at all. Though I must ask; what became of the Stone itself?" Luminous wondered if the stone had perhaps overloaded or been destroyed. While the stone was capable of being used to transfer _a_ Transcendent's power, the Black Mage had been more than _a_ Transcendent. And if merely being _near_ the powers used had hurt Mercedes, he couldn't help but worry.

  
"I'm not sure, but I think Orchid took it." That was, quite possibly, worse than the Stone's destruction.

  
"I can't imagine Phantom is happy with that turn of events." Luminous couldn't even take some grim pleasure in Phantom's misery in this case.

  
"He really isn't, but he has plenty of other things to worry about."

  
"So I presume you've checked on the others?"

  
"I have."

  
"How are they? And have you perchance heard news from Elluel? Is Lania safe?"

  
"We're all hanging in there. I did hear from Sylvidia a few... hours ago, I think, depending on how long I slept. Elluel is..." Mercedes sighed, and Luminous wrestled down the beginnings of panic. "Still standing, for the most part. Lania is safe." Lania was safe. Good. And they had discussed what he had wanted to. He could focus on her pain now without being distracted by his own. Even if Orchid being in possession of the Transcendence Stone was worrying, he could do nothing about it, and Mercedes seemed to have nothing more to say on the matter.

  
"Thank you for informing me. Yet if all you say is 'still standing', then I presume there were heavy losses?"

  
"As bad as the recent battle for Elluel, Sylvidia said."

  
"You seem to be handling the news with more grace and poise than you did then," Luminous remarked.

  
"Am I?" Mercedes asked, raising her eyebrows. "Perhaps I'm too tired for it to reach me."

  
"Shall I leave you to your rest, then?"

  
"No, I'm awake," Mercedes said, then covered a yawn with her hand. Luminous found his attention drawn to the magical patterns on her hands and forearms.

  
"Does it pain you?"

  
"Does what?"

  
"Your hands."

  
"A... bit." Mercedes winced. "Sometimes. The temple keepers gave me some medicine. I'll be fine. What about you? Does anything hurt?" Luminous wanted to offer to help, but her tone of voice discouraged possible challenges to the assertion of 'I'll be fine'.

  
"No." Luminous said, then thought. "Not physically, anyhow."

  
"How's your magic, then?"

  
"Still a bit off. It will likely take me some time to acclimate to the changes." Luminous couldn't contain a yawn. He wondered if he'd caught it from Mercedes, or if he was just starting to relax from the tense conversation and his earlier exhaustion was catching up with him.

  
There was no more reason to remain attentive and awake. He could pass on the White Mage's message to EunWol later.

  
He'd have plenty of time to do so in peace... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update April 11: The next chapter is taking longer than predicted. I'll aim to have it up about a week from today.


	9. Chapter 9

Mercedes supposed she had little choice but to accept the living arrangements the temple keepers had made for her.

  
The temple was the best place for her to be, after all. She wasn't yet ready to return to Elluel and wanted to stay with the other Heroes until she was. Aran and Luminous, at least, needed to stay at the temple for the time being. Aran wasn't yet stable enough to be moved, and because the temple keepers had a deeper understanding of Transcendental matters than anyone else, they were the most likely group to be able to help figure out what was going on with Luminous.

  
As for other details, she wasn't exactly opposed to sharing a room with Luminous -- not in the slightest-- but the fact that it was her only option irked her. She had spoken with the temple keepers and they had told her that they didn't have enough guest rooms for all of them, especially since some injured adventurers from the Alliance expedition were also staying at the temple. Mercedes had initially been a bit skeptical; since so many temple keepers were missing, surely some of their rooms could be converted into guest rooms? But it was far too soon; moving on and emptying out living places took time and heartache, and she couldn't ask that of anyone.

  
She wouldn't even ask that of her own people if there weren't immediate pressing need.

  
Maybe she was just a little bit unnerved by the disruption earlier. Luminous had ended up falling asleep on her shoulder, so she had put him to bed. She had been tired as well, but had assumed she'd be too on-edge to sleep. She'd ended up drifting off anyway, and had only really woken up when a temple keeper had gone in to check on them. While Mercedes had mostly calmed down after the initial reflexive grab for a bowgun, Luminous had been extremely flustered.

  
In spite of the rude and embarrassing awakening, it had still been the best sleep she'd gotten since arriving at the temple, probably because, when she'd start to wake up and worry, she could see and feel Luminous there as proof that he was okay and the Black Mage was gone and Elluel would remain standing and their victory _hadn't_ just been a dream, and didn't have to search around for other things to remind herself.

  
Of course, one of those reminders was there whether she wanted it to be or not.

  
Her hands and arms still hurt and still felt clumsy and full of pins and needles. She was _trying_ to put in new earrings, but she didn't have the sensitivity to feel where the piercing was to guide the hook through. She supposed, after so many decades of wearing earrings, it _should_ have been automatic, but it was enough of a challenge to keep her grip on the earring with one hand when she couldn't feel it.

  
She couldn't even ask Luminous to help heal it away. Not only was he currently asleep again, but he had tried the last time he had been up. It hadn't helped. It seemed any sort of magic flowing through her just made it worse.

  
She would just have to wait and see if it healed on its own. Nothing had changed for the better in the past few days, but it had only _been_ a few days. She was an _elf_. She would outlast it. She had worked through pain before. She could handle it.

  
That said, she had to admit she was a bit jealous of Luminous. While pain medication and mental discipline could only do so much for her, he hadn't been reporting any pain at all. He wasn't even really _acting_ hurt, so he probably wasn't lying to cover up any pain, either. Of course, he had his own problems; he'd only been awake twice since they had arrived, and only for about an hour each time. At least it was enough time to get him to eat and drink a bit, but sometimes she almost wanted to shake him to make sure he was just asleep, not unconscious.

  
Mercedes heard movement behind her, and turned to see Luminous sitting up and stretching. _Oh, good. He's up again._

  
"Good afternoon. How are you feeling?"

  
"I'm fine, thank you." Luminous rubbed his eyes. "Did I truly sleep until the afternoon?"

  
"Honestly, it's probably nearly evening by now." Mercedes made another futile attempt to put her earring in. "I haven't checked the clock in a while."

  
"I see. Are you having difficulty? Would you like assistance?"

  
"... Yes, actually."

  
"Allow me, then." Luminous walked over to her, and she handed him the earring. He moved to stand behind her. She could feel his breath and the side of his hand brushing against her hair and the side of her face. She wanted to lean into it, but she was a queen and knew to sit still. She couldn't help but notice that Luminous took a bit longer than he had to; he wore earrings, he knew what he was doing, but at least they could enjoy that touch and presence. She closed her eyes.

  
"I don't believe I've seen you wear this particular pair of earrings before," Luminous remarked quietly as he pulled away. Mercedes grabbed the other earring from the table and handed it to him. They lingered on that touch, too. Mercedes was glad that, even if her sense of touch was numbed through the magical damage, she could at least feel his touch, and that was what mattered.

  
"I don't wear them often," Mercedes explained, sitting up straight again. "Sylvidia gave them to me decades ago. Seeing her reminded me that I still had them." She'd kept them in a compartment in the handle of one of her bowguns. It wasn't the most practical solution, perhaps, but it was fitting for a memory of friendship forged in battle.

  
"Sylvidia was here?"

  
"Yes, I told you, remember? How else do you think I got news from Elluel? It's too soon for mail."

  
"I had thought that, perhaps, the news was important enough to merit the use of magic."

  
"Well, in terms of magicians here, it's you and whatever abilities the temple keepers have," Mercedes explained, as Luminous finished putting in the second earring. His fingers brushed her shoulder as he stepped aside and forward, in front of the mirror, so they could properly converse. "Thank you."

  
"Of course. Would you like me to attempt to contact Elluel, then?"

  
"No, thank you." Mercedes had to remind herself that she wasn't _hiding_. She _wasn't_ a coward. She just had to think of it as a... strategic retreat. She needed time to get herself back together, even if she might feel better in more familiar surroundings.

  
"Very well. On a related note, when did you plan to return to Elluel?" Mercedes forced herself to take deep breaths. All her worries and thoughts almost crystallized with that question and the safety of knowing she could talk to him.

  
"I don't know. I didn't want to leave you here," not when she wasn't sure what would happen or if he would ever wake up again, "and Phantom and Aran still aren't up for travel, and I... I suppose I imagined we'd all go back together, since we were denied a victorious homecoming last time. But now, it's..." Mercedes looked down at her hands. "How am I going to go back like _this_?" She'd _told_ Sylvidia that she was injured and might be a while, but if she didn't heal, what was the point in that delay? Could she still lead? With each day, even with the patience of an elf, she felt the possibility of recovery slipping away.

  
"Mercedes..."

  
"I'm the ruler of the elves. I have to be the strongest of my people, so I can _protect_ them. But this isn't healing, it still hurts --" Mercedes regretted letting that last bit slip out; she knew Luminous felt bad that he couldn't heal her through this and hated reminding him that she was in pain and he couldn't help, "-- and I don't know if I'll ever be back up to my old strength. I'm so... ashamed."

  
"Mercedes, you are undoubtedly the strongest person I know. Your capabilities in battle are only a small part of that strength. You lead a _nation_. You have the lives of an entire people to think of, yet you retain your warmth and kindness." Mercedes wanted to protest, she wanted to say that she wasn't doing anything for her people here, and that if she were truly a dedicated and caring ruler, she'd be _there_ right now, but she held her tongue.

  
After all, Luminous didn't usually give out praise. He must have really meant it. He was getting heated and defensive. But when she looked into his eyes, she saw more exhaustion than passion. _Ah. Of course he won't be up for long this time, either._ She wondered if he would crash as quickly as he had before.

  
"Thank you. I want to believe that," Mercedes told him.

  
"I believe there was a message in elven script on those earrings, may I take a closer look?" Luminous asked. Mercedes nodded. He leaned forward, brushing her hair out of the way so he could read. " _'In war and in peace, in battle and in governance, ever the rightful queen and my dear friend. Sylvidia_.' "

  
Mercedes could almost hear him echoing Sylvidia's voice all those decades ago, when she had read it before giving them to her.

  
How much had changed since then? Mercedes blinked back sudden tears.

  
"Mercedes?" Luminous asked, concerned, as he leaned back enough that she could see him again. Their faces were close, Mercedes wondered if they should kiss again; part of her wanted to, but now, for now, presence and comfort was what she needed. They pulled each other in for a hug instead.

  
"Thank you." It hurt, but maybe this was a good hurt. She just sat there for a while, trying to take in what comfort she could. Mercedes couldn't help but notice that it felt like she was supporting more and more of his weight over time, but it was fine. She could handle it, and he was tired.

  
She was tired, too, but it was a different tired. She was facing some combination of exertion and medication; he presumably had something going on with his magic exhausting him on top of everything going on physically and mentally.

  
"How are you?" Mercedes asked.

  
"Hm?" Luminous sounded almost as if he'd just woken from sleep. She wondered if he'd actually dozed off a bit.

  
"How are you handling everything? Your magic, and knowing that he's... gone."

  
"I feel fine," Luminous said, then paused. "Well, I am handling the situation as well as can be reasonably expected. There is much to consider, but as the world and our people are out of peril, I can examine the situation at my leisure." Mercedes raised her eyebrows. Even for Luminous, that was a verbose way of putting things. "And knowing you are here serves to mitigate any lingering concerns."

  
"I'm glad." Mercedes wasn't sure whether to continue and tell him how much his being there helped her, too, and how she was only able to sleep and relax well with the reassurance he was there, or if she was better off not mentioning it.

  
Come to think of it, it was a bit funny how she'd been the one thinking she might find peace with the Black Mage's death, but he hadn't seemed to think that way, and yet, now that all was said and done, he seemed much calmer than she was. Everything about the circumstances of their victory had involved cruel irony, but at least this was less cruel than the rest.

  
That cruel irony had also affected Phantom and Aran. And whatever was going on with EunWol; she'd asked him what was on his mind the last time she'd seen him, but he'd dodged the question and she hadn't pressed further. She supposed she should check up on them again and see what everyone else had planned.

  
After all, they'd never had a chance to celebrate their victory together the first time. Maybe they could now. In due time, of course, once everyone was healed enough, mentally and physically. Or however healed they would ever get.

  
For now, though, she could just take comfort knowing Luminous was there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in updating. Life happened and got in the way of writing.
> 
> Unfortunately, the next chapter will also take some time. Not only is it another logistical nightmare chapter, there has been yet another death in my life, and also I'm sick. Again. But it will get written, sooner or later.


	10. Chapter 10

Spending another two days at the temple seemed to have done good things for Mercedes.

  
Luminous had been ready to return to Elluel whenever Mercedes was ready; he had nothing keeping him there and he didn't want to worry Lania more than he had to. Mercedes had made the argument that he was better off staying at the temple for now because the temple keepers, familiar with Transcendental matters, would better understand what was going on with his magic, but Luminous had protested that they had done nothing for him and he was better off seeking advice from Lania and Vieren.

  
Nothing seemed urgent, however, so he'd happily agreed to stay until Mercedes was ready to go, as well.

  
And now, she finally seemed to have made up her mind that it was time to return, with the other heroes or without them.

  
He wasn't entirely sure what the trigger had been; perhaps it had simply been a matter of the passage of time and her concern for her people wearing on her. When he'd asked for insight into her thought processes, she had explained that, now that she thought of it, she had her old gloves that covered up to her upper arms back in Elluel, and those would cover the physical marks well enough. The only problem, she had said, was either having someone send the gloves to her at the temple, or getting back to Elluel undetected.

  
Luminous had offered to teleport them both, but Mercedes had turned him down, saying that Sylvidia had offered to fly them both back, and returning on Sylvidia's back was an entrance more befitting of the Queen of the Elves.

  
Of course, it was also a more _visible_ entrance than either of them wanted, but her mind was made up and Luminous saw little reason to argue.

  
Besides, he _could_ sew. Not _well_ , but well enough. He had decided he'd get some fabric from the temple keepers and sew her a pair of gloves that would last her until she got back to Elluel and found her old ones. They wouldn't look professionally done, of course, but that was fine; no one would be seeing Mercedes up close other than him, the Elders, and Sylvidia, all of whom either knew or should have known about her situation.

  
All that was left to do, save pack up the few belongings they had and finish sewing the gloves, was to inform the other heroes of their plans.

  
That was why they were currently in Aran's room.

  
Luminous was grateful no one else had claimed the seat next to her bed. The trek there had exhausted him, and he had been fighting not to collapse since about ten meters before reaching her door. At least, sitting in a chair, if he did fall over, he wouldn't have far to fall.

  
He was also relieved that the other heroes looked better than they had when he'd seen them last. Well, of course they did; he hadn't seen them since they were still in the collapsed Arcane River. They seemed to be doing better than Mercedes' descriptions, too.

  
EunWol looked fine. Aran was sitting up in bed with Maha leaned up against the headboard and also looked fine, though he did know that she was supposed to be on bed rest. Phantom was hanging back, leaning up against the corner, but Luminous could see that, while he had picked up a scar, he otherwise seemed back to normal. That, unfortunately, included his attitude and half-smirk.

  
All, in all, it seemed they were faring better than they had with their curses the first time.

  
"So, those are our plans. What about everyone else? Did you hear from your people?" Mercedes asked.

  
"No, but I see no reason to. I'll contact them when I'm ready," Phantom said.

  
"We heard back from Lilin," Aran said.

  
"How is she? How did Rien fare?" Mercedes asked. Luminous's attention was drawn to EunWol, who suddenly looked downcast. Come to think of it, wasn't he forgetting something?

  
Right. The message.

  
"EunWol."

  
"Hm?"

  
"May we speak for a moment?" In private, preferably, but Luminous didn't want to say that aloud because that was practically an _invitation_ for Phantom to get in his way. Ugh.

  
"Certainly." EunWol's expression was open, but Luminous could see some wariness hiding in his eyes. Meanwhile, Aran and Mercedes seemed to have moved on to discussing some sort of unofficial trade negotiations. Luminous didn't know Aran had that role in Rien, but he supposed it shouldn't have come as too much of a shock; she was one of the few humans there, after all.

  
Where was Phantom? Luminous needed him distracted. If Phantom heard that he had spoken with the White Mage, he would face far worse than teasing. He wondered if they might genuinely fight with intent to _hurt_ one another again. Mercedes trusted him well enough, and he imagined EunWol would too, or, at the very least, wouldn't get violent, but Phantom...

  
Come to think of it, did EunWol even know about Luminous's origins? If he didn't, then talking to him would be easier.

  
Luminous pushed back a sudden wave of anger and bitterness. It seemed he wasn't completely over it, even if the Black Mage was dead and gone. That man's legacy would live on in all the things he had done... and Luminous.

  
There was nothing he could do but outlast it and learn to live with it.

  
"Shall we leave the girls to it? If this is something you're more comfortable discussion in private." Luminous realized too late that it had been a while since he'd said anything. Fortunately, EunWol had picked up on the hint.

  
"And what am I? Chopped liver?" Phantom asked. _Ugh_.

  
"I should have known their discussion would prove far too intellectual to hold your interest," Luminous muttered.

  
"Resorting to insulting my intellect, ironically oblivious to the fact that that's the nearly exclusive tactic of those who overestimate their own? No, trade negotiations are simply no concern of mine. Group dynamics, on the other hand? Those do concern me."

  
"Private discussions are none of your business," Luminous snapped.

  
"Could you two please not fight?" EunWol asked, stepping between them. His voice was gentle, but Luminous got the impression that he was not far off from physically restraining one of them. "Luminous, let's take this outside." He hoped that EunWol meant outside the door and not outside the temple. He still wanted to have some energy left to work on Mercedes' gloves.

  
"Very well." Luminous pulled himself to his feet and followed EunWol out the door, turning to 'hmph' slightly in Phantom's direction, and to make eye contact with Mercedes and nod to signal that everything was all right. She returned the gesture, then turned back to Aran.

  
EunWol closed the door behind them, but Luminous knew that wouldn't stop Phantom if he insisted upon eavesdropping. Luminous followed EunWol down what felt like far too much hallway before they came to a bench. Luminous sat down, but EunWol kept going for a few more paces before he stopped, turned, and backtracked to take a seat on the other side of the bench.

  
"What did you want to talk to me about?" EunWol asked.

  
"A moment, please," Luminous said, taking the time to put up some wards to ensure people -- PHANTOM -- wouldn't overhear. "There we are. So. I had an opportunity to speak with the Black Mage."

  
"What? When? Was this recently?"

  
"After our battle, while I was... in-between."

  
"I see. Are you sure you weren't just seeing things, then?" Luminous tried not to let his surprise show. If he wasn't going to be trusted, he'd rather his recollection be in question rather than his motivation and allegiance, but he'd still prefer to be taken at his word.

  
"I am nearly certain, given the magical nature of what transpired." There was no sense getting into unnecessary detail. If EunWol didn't know what he was, he intended to keep it that way. As for the rest of the magic, EunWol wasn't a mage, and it was of no concern to him. Then again, EunWol _did_ spend about as much time around Freud as Mercedes had -- and where had _that_ memory come from? It made no sense. He must have been recalling someone who simply looked like EunWol. The person he was thinking of had a different name, right? But there was no sense thinking too hard about it; he had enough to worry about already.

  
"All right. I'll take your word for it. Go on."

  
"He requested I relay a message to you." EunWol nearly snarled for a second before pulling his face back to a more neutral expression. Luminous was slightly taken aback by the uncharacteristic display of _hatred_. At least the hatred seemed to be directed toward the Black Mage, not him.

  
"What is it?"

  
"He told me that 'she' should remember you now." EunWol sat up a little straighter.

  
"Did he say anything else?"

  
"Unfortunately, no. Our time was short. I fear I know nothing more regarding the nature or status of your curse, since I presume that was the context."

  
"I see. Well, I can't take any chances. I'm sorry, it's not that I don't trust you, but I can't really trust _him_." EunWol brought his hand up to his chin thoughtfully and gazed off into the distance. "If I go over there to visit... but I can't chance losing all of you again. Maybe someone else could..." Luminous was just about to ask what he was talking about when he turned to him. "Luminous. Would you be willing to -- no, I can't ask that of you. But thank you for passing on the message. It's nice to have... hope." EunWol gave a faint smile. "Is there anything else?"

  
"That was all."

  
"I see. Well, thank you, then." EunWol stood up. "We should probably start heading back before the others worry."

  
"Indeed." That didn't mean Luminous _wanted_ to get up, however. He let down the wards as EunWol began walking. He made it about halfway back to Aran's room before turning back to look.

  
"Are you coming?"

  
"In time."

  
"Okay, I'll let them know if they ask."

  
When EunWol disappeared back into the room, Luminous breathed a sigh of relief. He must have been more nervous than he realized; without the stress of suspicion, he felt like he could melt onto that bench and fall asleep in an instant.

  
"Hello." And he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Phantom behind him. He stopped himself short of attacking him. Where had he come from!? Why hadn't Luminous noticed him earlier!?

  
"What do you want!?"

  
"A chance for private discussion."

  
"Why."

  
"So, that kiss a few days ago? You clearly had no idea what you were doing; you need to work on that." Of all the things! Of course he knew that Phantom was going to get on his case _some_ time, but he wasn't expecting _now_ of all times! He knew his face was beet red and anger was giving him enough energy to stay awake again, but he didn't have the _energy_ to deal with this.

  
"Phantom, if you have something pertinent to discuss, out with it. Otherwise, cease wasting my time." Luminous forced himself to be as civil as he could.

  
"Oh, but this is important! Mercedes is my dear friend, after all. She deserves better than the likes of _you_ , but at the same time, she is her own woman and I respect her decisions. So. We need to make you _better_."

  
"I've no need to hear this from _you_."

  
"But if not me, then who else? It's painfully obvious you interact with books far more than people. So, with that the case, I've gone through the trouble of writing down a few tips on how you can improve." Phantom handed him a folded sheet of expensive-looking paper.

  
"Aren't you worried, giving me your secrets?" Luminous thought to give the paper a quick scan for any sort of trap or curse before sliding it into his pocket.

  
"Please, you're so hopeless, even if I told you every trick in the book, you'd never be able to hold a candle to me. And this is for _her_ , not for you." Phantom's eyes hardened and lost their playful, mocking gleam. "You know that if you ever hurt her, I will show you now mercy."

  
"You know I never would. And that goes both ways."

  
"But of course. And one last thing."

  
"Speak your piece and be done with it."

  
"If you intend to stay in Elluel, expect we'll be seeing more of each other. So you'd best work on your manners, as well. It's not becoming for the Queen's companion to be so rude to old friends when they come to visit." Phantom tipped his hat and disappeared into a cloud of cards. _Such arrogance!_

  
Well. At least he was still so off-put by Phantom's sudden appearance and then discussion that he had _plenty_ of angry energy to channel into getting through the rest of the day and finishing the gloves. With his message to EunWol delivered, there was no more reason to delay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm feeling better, and I also managed to cross another story off my to-do list, so I should be able to focus a bit better.
> 
> That said, the next (and final) chapter won't be up any sooner than Saturday.


	11. Chapter 11

Flying back on Sylvidia was nowhere near as neat and triumphant as Mercedes had hoped, but at least, for the most part, it was comfortable.

  
She was sitting behind Luminous with her arms around his waist. She hated how she had trouble feeling it -- she had even less sensation through the gloves -- but at least she could feel her head over his shoulder and the wind in her hair. Luminous, for his part, was holding a lot of tension in his shoulders, and Mercedes suspected he was hanging onto Sylvidia for dear life. At least it seemed the nervousness was keeping him awake.

  
The heroes would leave the Temple of Time as it suited them, but they planned to meet up again in a few months, once everyone was all healed up -- or as healed up as they would get.

  
Mercedes couldn't let herself get bitter now, thinking about that. She had to stay focused. If Luminous fell asleep and fell out of the saddle, she might, too. Sylvidia would try to retrieve them, of course, but even if she did, it would hurt.

  
"So, Luminous, how long were you going to stay in Elluel?" Sylvidia asked. At least her conversation would help keep him awake.

  
"I am not entirely certain. It all depends upon Lania," Luminous said. "But at least a week." A week. He had offered to help clean up around Elluel for that long before starting to look into rebuilding his own house, assuming Lania hadn't had some change of heart and wanted to stay in Elluel.

  
Mercedes had offered to help him rebuilt, too. She wasn't sure how much manual labor he could do in his current state, and could probably use help.  
"A week's not nearly long enough, you know. Right, Mercedes?"

  
"Luminous and I have talked about this, Sylvidia. It's fine." He had his responsibilities and obligations just as she had hers, even if his obligations were to fewer people. She did wish he'd stay, of course, but, well... if he stayed _forever_ , she'd probably have to talk to the Elders about that. They wouldn't refuse her, of course, but it would feel better if she had their blessing.

  
She knew they had Sylvidia's, at least! To a slightly annoying degree, if this was any indication.

  
As for the Spirit... well, she would have to see. But she doubted it would be a problem. Who the Queen chose to associate with wasn't really a matter that would concern her, anyway, she supposed.

  
Besides, in peace, they would have plenty of time to figure things out. They'd still visit each other frequently, no matter what the lodgings situation was.

  
"Well, if you're sure..." Sylvidia said, sounding slightly disappointed. Mercedes felt interest in the conversation slide away, and with that, time did too, for a while. She just focused on her surroundings; the wind around her, the sea beneath her, and Luminous right in front of her.

  
The edge of Victoria was coming into view on the horizon. Mercedes felt her heart twist when she saw what looked like damage from a widespread forest fire. Clearly, the home defense had struggled with far more than just monsters. And on that note, the home defense...

  
"Athena's back in Henesys, right?" Mercedes asked. Surely, Sylvidia would have mentioned it if anything bad had happened to her.

  
"Yep, though I'm sure she'd be happy to come back to Elluel to visit if you just ask." Right. And now matter how much Mercedes sometimes wished they would, things would never perfectly go back to the way things were... before. Athena was just a small part of that.

  
But it was okay. Sometimes, change was good. She leaned a bit more on Luminous. They would get through this.

  
They couldn't insult the sacrifices of those who didn't make it back by not living their best lives.

  
Now that they were over dry land again, Mercedes could judge their speed a bit better.

  
"You're flying a bit slower than usual, Sylvidia. Are you okay?" Maybe she had been hurt more than just whatever injury had left that scar on her flank.

  
"Oh, I'm fine! It's just that carrying two people is a little more difficult than carrying one." Right. She hadn't thought of that.

  
"Do you want to stop and rest?" Mercedes asked.

  
"I'm fine; we'll be there soon enough." Good.

  
In the meantime, Mercedes let herself relax. It was nice, riding like this. They should do it again sometime. And they _would_ have the chance. Life wouldn't be free of problems, of course, but free from the threat of the Black Mage, things might be okay. In time. The trees would regrow.

  
There would be pain. She'd need to be there to help lay the fallen to rest -- they deserved nothing less than the presence of the rler of the land they had died defending. Some relatives would be upset and angry. Some would blame her. It would hurt. She'd  feel responsible. But she would work through it.

  
She had the Elders. She had Luminous. She had Sylvidia. She had the other heroes. She imagined she'd have the support of Cygnus and her people as well, though that could easily become a burden rather than a blessing.

  
Without a common enemy, people had a way of breaking into groups and turning on another. But for now, things were peaceful.

  
As they'd need to be, for a time of healing.

  
She just hoped _she_ healed. And that they could figure out whatever was going on with Lumious and that would get better, too.

  
Elluel was starting to come into view now. Mercedes breathed a small sigh of relief when she saw no evidence of fire there. She imagined Philius and the other magi would have quickly put out any fires that had started.

  
"So, are we going to land in front of the rune tree?" Sylvidia asked.

  
"No. Take us down in the palace courtyard." Mercedes didn't feel like greeting the public just yet. "But have us swing by in the air." She'd wave as she came back, and assure the people she was alive and relatively well. "If Luminous doesn't mind."

  
"I do not mind." He sounded exhausted.

  
"Are you going to stay awake?"

  
"Most likely."

  
"That's not terribly reassuring, you know," Mercedes muttered. But with that the case, perhaps it was best if they avoided a detour and went straight inside so he could rest. People could see her on the way to the palace, anyway; she didn't need to specifically do a public fly-by. "All right. Scratch that. Just take us straight there."

  
"Okay!" Sylvidia changed course, abruptly enough that one of her wings brushed Mercedes's shoulder. Mercedes looked down to see that some of her people had stepped out of their houses and were looking up, shielding their eyes from the sun to get a better look at their returning monarch. Most seemed happy and relieved. A few didn't.

  
Luminous flinched when they came within a few meters of a column, but Mercedes knew to trust Sylvidia.

  
Mercedes, noticed, relieved, that the Elders were already waiting in the courtyard. So was Lania, though she was hanging back. When they saw her, their faces lit up with relieved smiles.

  
"Welcome back, Your Majesty," Philius said, bowing his head, as soon as Sylvidia's hooves touched grass. Mercedes noticed Astilda give a questioning glance in Luminous's direction, but he didn't seem to notice; he was focused on Lania.

  
"Thank you." Mercedes dismounted, easily sliding off Sylvidia's back. Luminous also started to dismount, but as soon as his feet hit the ground, he almost crumpled. Mercedes caught him and tried to steady him, and he seemed to find his balance just as Lania crashed into them.

  
"Lumi!"

  
"Lania!" Mercedes wasn't entirely sure how it happened, but it quickly turned into a group hug. Not exactly the dignified entrance she was planning, especially not in front of the Elders, but she was happy for Luminous and Lania, and being there and being *included* felt like family again. Tears started to sting her eyes. How long had it been since she felt that way?

  
"I was so worried!"

  
"Forgive me, Lania," Luminous said.

  
"It's okay, I was just... afraid you wouldn't come back. Either of you." Lania pulled them in tighter.

  
"Well, we're back, and here we'll stay," Mercedes said, trying to discreetly wipe her tears away.

  
"I'm so glad to hear that." Lania loosened her grip a bit, and between that and moving her hand up to her face, Mercedes found she had enough breathing room to step away slightly.

  
"Your Majesty." Philius. She couldn't keep the Elders waiting for long. She turned to him and took a step away.

  
"Philius. Danika. Astilda. It's good to see you again."

  
"Likewise," Philius said. "We were concerned, between Evan's report and Sylvidia's message." She couldn't help but notice his eyes were drawn to her gloves. She figured she'd answer the unasked question before he had a chance to fumble trying to ask it. But not in public. Not yet.

  
"How private is this?"

  
"I've warded the area."

  
"Thank you, Philius." Mercedes sighed and fiddled with the top of her glove, contemplating taking it off.

  
"Mercedes?" Danika sounded worried.

  
"First things first, how are you?" Mercedes asked. "Sylvidia gave me a preliminary report, but are the three of you all right?" She wanted to get this out of the way first. The Elders all looked fine, but could easily have been hiding something. Like she was. Meanwhile, Luminous and Lania seemed to be settling down into a conversation about Vieren and Penny, and Sylvidia interjected occasionally.

  
"We are all well, Your Majesty," Astilda said. "Philius and Danika were fortunate enough to avoid injry, and Athena's aid arrived before I had the need to intervene. But we worry for you. We're immensely grateful for what you've done, for us and for the world, but at what cost?" So she was dodging asking directly, too. Well, no sense avoiding it further, if the area was secure.

  
"To answer the questions you probably have..." Mercedes pulled off one of her gloves. Danika gasped; Astilda and Philius looked concerned but were more reserved. "I'm fine, other than this. But the Transcendence Stone did something to me, magic makes it worse, and it doesn't seem to be healing. Yet."

  
"If you suspect it's more of a magical injury than a physical one, I can begin looking into it immediately, if you wish," Philius said. "By myself if you deserve privacy, or with the assistance of the other magi if you desire expediency."

  
"Thank you, Philius. I'd prefer to keep this private for now."

  
"If there are any accomodations you might need, Your Majesty, you need only ask. We are here to help," Astilda said.

  
"Thank you, Astilda. But I'll be all right. What's really important right now is rebuilding." She wondered if Luminous and Lania had finished their discussion yet. "Luminous." She turned back to look at him.

  
"Hm?" He, Lania, and Sylvidia broke off their conversation to face her.

  
"On the subject of rebuilding, I've invited Luminous and Lania to stay as long as they'd like," Mercedes said, prompting him, assuming he'd reached an agreement with Lania.

  
"Lania and I shall remain here as long as necessary to assist before returning to rebuild our own home."

  
"And I intend to help them with that, when the time comes." Mercedes stepped back towards them, reaching out to link her arm with Luminous's. She noticed, relieved, that the Elders had no unspoken protests or complaints in their expressions.

  
Arm in arm, they would get through whatever life threw at them next, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! Finally, we've reached the end of the series (sort of, more on that later). Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> The story wasn't supposed to be this long. It was supposed to be maybe 10-15k words long, not over 80k. I actually got so salty over a video game that I wrote a novel. If you've read the series start to finish, you've *read* a novel. So congrats! I'm glad I was able to hold your attention for this long.
> 
> Now that we've reached the end, I feel obligated to leave an exceedingly long author's note, featuring answers to possible questions about the story itself, some more insight into my process behind the story, and everything else I've been holding in over the past few months.
> 
>  
> 
> Story-related questions:
> 
> So, is Luminous the Transcendent of Light by the end of this story? I'm leaving that open to interpretation. He's had some contact with the Overseers (they were the presence he sensed just before passing out after arriving at the Temple of Time), but it's up to the reader's interpretation and personal preference whether he actually achieved transcendence or not. Either way, he *did* get a magical power boost, even if it came at a physical cost.  
> Who actually killed the Black Mage in this story? That's also up to interpretation. It probably wasn't Mercedes (since she was occupied with the stone), and it probably wasn't Luminous (since he was occupied as well), but the person who landed the killing blow could have been any other canon character. Pick your favorite, I guess.
> 
> Why bring in OCs and friends' characters if you were just going to kill them off without having them contribute much? I wrote this story for three reasons. To write a fix-it fic for things I didn't like about the canon conclusion to the Black Mage storyline, to ship LumiMerc, and to pay tribute to the years I've spent playing the game and to the two people I met in the game who are still important to me and a part of my life even years after we stopped playing together. On that last note, I wanted to show that we -- the corsair, the battle mage, and the crossbowman -- left our mark, even if we're gone now. I spoke with both Roxy and Zara to see if they were OK with how their characters behaved. It was hard to boil us down to a few traits, but I did my best. Zara saying 'mango' instead of 'man' and trying to keep the team together, Roxy being more of an alchemist than a corsair and trying to reach out and help, and me naming my reapers and generally being a well-meaning mess were what I settled on. As for the other OCs, they were there as glorified redshirts.
> 
> Since a lot of the Alliance members were brought back in canon, are your OCs and your friends' characters really dead? They're dead, Jim. Except Telaina, who in this story was the blaze wizard stationed in Elluel and the dawn warrior's girlfriend. We won't see her again, but she's alive. It's okay, though. They're all still alive in plenty of other universes.
> 
> Why did you leave Hilla and Orchid in even though you hated that part of the canon storyline? I wanted to explore the angst potential of the Labyrinth of Suffering, and Hilla came as a part of that deal. As for Orchid, by the time Chapter 9 of Twisting Darkness came around, I was too overwhelmed to figure out a way to erase or rewrite her.  
> What is Orchid doing with Transcendence Stone, anyway? Originally, removing it from plot relevance and providing a sequel hook if I or anyone else ever get around to it, but now that I'm writing a sequel anyway, I just might have to bring it back.
> 
> Will you write more? This is the end of the LumiMerc focus, and I'm officially ending the series here, but I'll continue writing in this timeline / AU for a while. I currently have a oneshot with EunWol planned, as well as, thanks to Satsuha making art of more rarepairs that consume my life, a longer CygLania story. Of course, both of those are going to have to wait until I finish my previously mentioned crime against the English language and my WoW OC Mother's Day oneshot, so check back in a few weeks!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Special thanks to Satsuha, everyone who gives me feedback, and my friends on discord and bnet for putting up with me!


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